Steps 1636, Time Is On Your Side
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 904b-924b: They have one summer left. Before long they will be parents, all of them, one way or another. - Paper Heart series
1. Step Sixteen, Look Ahead

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 43rd cycle. Now cycle 44!_

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_**INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - **If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
Go to: gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet_

_** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 43 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about **shift days**!_

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_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Stage to Screen to Stage._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**  
**Kurt & Brittany, Santana, Brittana...**  
**Paper Heart Series #17 (following 'Step Fifteen...')**

**1. Step Sixteen, Look Ahead**

It was kind of startling the way one singular and simple thought could just snake out and link to five more. In this case, the thing that had started it all was a calendar page. They'd been sitting in the doctor's waiting room, and the receptionist woman had gotten up to change the page, realizing she was behind by a few days, and they had seen it. June… It was June now, and that was enough to send them thinking.

It was June now, and soon it would be summer, and then it would be fall, and then it would be October, and then, well… then they would be parents.

After that, things had just moved forward, and they didn't remember the appointment much more than the fact the baby was the picture of perfection, coming along nicely… The rest was forgotten, and then they were back at his place. They had taken to spend more time together, the closer they were getting. Even months away they knew things were about to change for them big time. Their lives were forever interlocked. Right now those lives were both focused in on the well-being of that little boy or girl – though she was still firm in her belief it was a boy – growing inside her.

"It's still like four months away," Brittany had spoken as they sat in his living room.

"That'll have come and gone in a heartbeat, especially without school to worry about," Kurt pointed out.

"Right," she drummed her fingers along her belly. There was some quiet, and then he had to ask.

"How are we going to do this?" She looked to him, unsure what he meant. He searched the words. "If this was like… how most people have babies, you and I would be a couple, we would be living together… we'd probably be a bit older. But we're not. We're a couple of sophomores, living at home, who are never going to be a couple… never going to live together," he spoke with some sadness. The feeling rubbed off on her, which he saw by the way she held to the belly now.

"But we could, you know?" she looked to him.

"Be a couple?" he asked, incredulous.

"What? No, no," she shook her head. "I mean live together. Why not?" she shrugged. "I'd do it for him, and you would too, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would, but how?" he asked, and she paused, thinking.

"I don't know," she had to admit.

"Well we're going to have to add that to our list then," he spoke, trying to inspire positivity.

"Do we have a list?" her face scrunched up – it was working.

"No, but we can make one. I'm excellent at those," he told her, and she smiled.

As much as the whole situation could be worrisome at times, in the end they would always remember that, considering their general predicament, they weren't doing that bad. There was still plenty that could come and throw them off balance, but that never lasted long. The hardest was still to come, but they were confident that they could do it.

Then there was Santana. Kurt didn't have to dig very deep to know that she hadn't said a thing to Santana yet, despite the talk they'd had. At the very least, she was taking steps toward allowing herself a presence, as he'd told her she could. She didn't come to every doctor's appointment, still hesitated most of the time, but at others she would be there. She continued to look after Brittany whenever he wasn't there; that wouldn't ever change.

"I should probably go. Promised Santana I'd meet her at Breadstix. Whenever I show up there now and they see I'm pregnant, they bring way too many breadsticks and then she eats them all," Brittany smirked.

"Well, that's… No, that sounds about right," Kurt nodded, and she laughed. "Okay, I…" he pressed a hand to her stomach. "Bye, there," he bowed his head. She got up, with a small wave goodbye before letting herself out.

He went off to his room, feeling suddenly exhausted. He lay down on his bed, staring to the ceiling. The living arrangement, they had to fix that, first and foremost. They couldn't just move out of their homes and into an apartment with their infant son or daughter, when he or she would be born. That just wasn't possible. So either he'd have to go live over there, or she'd have to come live over here… at least some of the time…

He sat up, looking around the room for a moment as an idea began to form in his mind. He got up and headed toward the guest bedroom. It was plain, mostly a collection of old furniture that had once been his or his father's that had been put there when they were replaced. Maybe he fixed it up… It could be a room for Brittany, a nursery for the baby… He was certainly always up for an interior decoration project, and if it was for people he cared about deeply, then even better. He could fix it up, and he could surprise her with it… He needed his swatches…

It was June; it really was coming soon. Just a few short months, they would go by so fast. It was already had to believe that their fateful encounter in his basement had been so many months ago… They were more than halfway through this pregnancy. Every day it felt like that belly of hers was reaching new sizes. She was expanding, and they all took notice. People at school, they had finally started getting bored of them, and he could at least be thankful for that. He didn't want to have to keep worrying about those losers. He was about to become a father, in just a few months, and that mattered more to him than any and all words they could ever toss his way. They were leaving her alone, too, for which he was probably even more thankful. She was already being put through enough as it was.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. Step Seventeen, Hold Close

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 1._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**2. Step Seventeen, Hold Close**

On most days, life at her house didn't appear all that different from how it had been before… Before the day she sat her parents down and told them that she was expecting a baby… They got up in the morning, got ready for the day, headed on out, came back, did things, went to bed… Even now that she was growing every day it seemed, it wasn't affecting them as a whole, at least not as far as she could tell.

Her family had been so good to her already, and it wasn't as though she had expected them to be horrible, but… with what she knew of Quinn's experience, it had been absolute dread. But they were supportive. They looked out for her, made sure she would be alright, that they both would be, her and the baby. Her little sister was curious about the whole thing, though at the same time showed the kind of frustration her parents told Brittany she herself had experienced when she was about to be a big sister. This may have been her future nephew or niece, but to her it as good as a younger sibling coming into the house and it wasn't sitting well with her just yet.

But then there were other days, ones where she was reminded that, young as she was, this pregnancy was not something they would have wanted to happen to her, and then she'd wonder if there were things they felt that they wouldn't tell her, to protect her feelings.

They weren't bad people, they were the best parents in the world, as far as she was concerned. This baby growing inside her was going to be loved, by all of them, including her parents, but it didn't change the situation, and she was seeing that now, wondering that now.

"Brittany, are you up there?" her father's voice sounded from below and she sat up on her bed.

"Yes?" she called back.

"Come down when you have a minute?" She got up, moving to go toward the stairs. Her father waited there when he saw her coming. "Were you napping?"

"No, I was just lying down," she explained.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"No, I'm fine, I promise," she shook her head.

"Okay, well let's go sit, we need to talk," he nodded, leading her toward the kitchen.

"Did I do something?" she hesitated.

"Remember we said we'd have to talk about some things for school?"

"Oh, right." They sat at the table and there she saw the notebook, the one her father had been carrying around ever since he'd found out about the baby, she felt. He wrote all these things there that had to do with the pregnancy and the baby in one way or another, and she found it sweet. It was just like him. "I'm getting a tutor, right?" That was what she had figured, when she'd spoken about it with Santana.

"Yes," her father nodded. "With your due date in October, the easiest thing would be for you to go back to McKinley in January after the holidays instead of September. It's still you though, and if you want another solution we can try and think of one. Personally I'd say that this is the best one though."

"No, it's alright," she promised. "So… who's going to tutor me? I mean my teachers get frustrated with me, but one of them said it's because they don't have a choice to teach me."

"Who said that?" he asked, and she shrugged. He sighed. "We'll find someone good, I promise," he told her and she nodded.

She kind of wanted to run the whole living situation conundrum by him. After she'd talked about it all with Kurt the other day, it had gotten her thinking. She hadn't found any sort of answer yet, and she was sure if she put it to him then, he would open his notebook to a new page and he would start thinking it through. But maybe that wasn't the way they should do it.

"Hey." She'd been distracted, and at his voice she looked up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, promise," she shook her head, smiling so he'd see she was fine. "Just tired, I guess."

"Well that's normal," he turned on a smile. "I'll let you get back up there, let you know when I've got more about your tutor." They got up, and he kissed the side of her head, as he would, which would make her smile. She went up to her room, lying back down on her bed as she had. She wasn't aiming to fall asleep. She still preferred to have her naps when Santana was there to keep an eye on her, though she was getting less fearful about the whole thing. It had been different at first, but the longer she lived like this, the easier it got… she guessed that was how things worked.

She didn't really like the idea of not being in school with her friends for the first few months of junior year, but she had to think about it from the point of view of who she'd become, sometime in those few months. She'd be mother to the baby in her belly, and those few months would allow her to be there with him when he was still… new, and needing to get the attention he deserved from her.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep despite herself. The next thing she knew, she was curled up, startled by a sound… "Sorry!" She opened her eyes to find it was her sister sitting on the ground by her bed, with a book open in her lap. Melinda was barely seven, and already read and loved to read, much more than Brittany ever had.

"It's okay," she blinked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "What are you doing there?"

"Just reading," she shrugged.

"Here?" She looked back down to her book.

"Yeah…" Brittany brought herself closer to the edge of the bed so she could reach out, touch her sister's head. "You had nightmares, I didn't want you to be alone," Melinda looked to her.

"You did that?" Brittany smiled, and the girl nodded. "Come here," she scooted back. When she did, lying next to her, Brittany wrapped her around her, making her giggle. "Thanks, Mels." She lay there for a moment, looking at her sister. Her hair was a light brown, but her eyes were blue like hers. A lot of the time she seemed so wise, but then other times she'd show her age, their mother would say, like now with the whole business with the baby. "Are we okay, you and me?"

"Yes?" Melinda frowned, confused. "Why?"

"And the baby…" Brittany forged on, and the small girl broke eye contact for a split second. "Mom and Dad aren't going to…"

"It's not Mom and Dad," Melinda shook her head, and Brittany frowned, kissing her little sister's head.

"I won't forget you either. I promise."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Step Eighteen, Make Space

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Make a Splash._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**3. Step Eighteen, Make Space**

The night before, Brittany had received a text from Kurt asking if she could come over the next morning. She'd said sure. His message didn't nearly express the odd sort of giddiness she found in him when she arrived at his house the next morning. She blinked, startled. "Are you okay? Did you take something?"

"What? No, I'm fine. I have something to show you. It's a surprise," he informed her, taking her along to enter so he could shut the door.

"A surprise?" she asked, smiling. Now she was kind of giddy, too. "What is it?" she asked and he looked to her. "Right, surprise, sorry."

"Come on, I'll show you." He led her upstairs, and once she'd cleared the staircase he stopped her. "Close your eyes," he instructed. She squinted. "Trust me. Give me your hands and close your eyes.

"Alright," she smiled, doing as told. She felt him take her hands and then he was pulling her along. "Where are we going?" she asked. "I'm not going to be scared, am I?"

"I seriously doubt so. Keep them shut," he warned when her eyes briefly fluttered.

"Sorry, it itches," she did her best to not open them.

"We're almost there, just a few more steps," he promised. He let go of her hands to reach and stop her and she felt him slide by her and come to stand behind her. "Ready?"

"Yes, please," she grinned, way past anxious.

"Open your eyes," he instructed.

"Hang on," she turned her head away to rub at her itchy eye without ruining the surprise for herself. "Okay, okay," she turned her head back forward, eyes still closed.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed, and so she opened her eyes.

The room was bright, simple and yet inviting. There was a bed, and other bedroom type furniture, but it was hardly what drew the eye. On the other side of the room were items more familiar to a nursery. There was a changing table, a dresser, and a crib with a mobile of dancing notes overhead.

"Kurt…" she blinked, feeling her eyes itch all over again, this time created by a rush of emotions pushing tears to spill.

"Obviously, you still have your house, and I still have mine. On days when the baby would be here, then you could be here, too. You'd both have a place that's yours right here," he explained with pride. She looked back to him.

"This is ours?" she asked, touched.

"All yours," he confirmed with a nod. She smiled, reaching to wipe tears away, then moved to hug him.

"Thank you, Kurt, it's perfect," she squeezed when he hugged back.

"Hey, you know I like my share of interior decorating," he told her when they pulled back. She smiled.

"Yeah, you do," she nodded, then thought. "Your dad's okay with me staying here?"

"Absolutely," Kurt promised. "I ran it by him, and he said if it was okay with your parents, too…"

"Oh!" Brittany had an idea. "I should ask my parents, maybe we can do the same for you, then you can stay with us, too," she smiled.

"Think they'd go for that?" he asked, and it was clear he'd kind of hoped for that outcome, even if he wouldn't have dared to just ask.

"They will," she nodded, and he looked relieved.

She turned back to look at the room, now that the shock had worn off, so that she could get a closer look. There were some toys, books on the dresser. Some were new, and others she could see had been used and must have belonged to Kurt when he was little. The wallpaper was definitely new. She'd seen this room before, and it did not look like this. She touched the wall, then grinned when she recognized the characters.

"It's Winnie the Pooh!"

"Yeah, is that okay, I mean it's all over…"

"Are you kidding? I love it," she looked back to him with a laugh. "And purple!"

"I know you're convinced it's a boy…"

"It is," she cut in, nodding with a smirk.

"… but I looked and they had the same print in blue, pink, and purple… I chose this one, just in case," he explained. "My dad helped me put it up." She went and sat on the bed. The sheets and comforter were new, matching the walls in colors.

"We should have a practice night. Like a sleepover, but we each have our own rooms," she suggested.

"Yeah, we could," he nodded in agreement. She looked around, down to herself.

"It's really happening…" she stated, turning her eyes up to him. He came to sit next to her.

"Yeah, it is." He gave her a smile. "Kind of just want to meet him now," he admitted.

"No, but he's too small right now," she shook her head, then paused. "Oh… never mind, I got it," she chuckled. "I do, too… I think he's got that high kick down," she put a hand to her belly.

"Wonder where he gets that from," he joked, and she laughed.

"My father's looking for a tutor for me for September," she informed him. "I'm not going to be in school until January."

"But that's good, because you'll be with him," Kurt looked to her.

"Yeah, I know, it's just I'm going to miss being at school with all of you. What about Glee Club, and Sectionals next year… You'll need someone new… Maybe I can just come in for that, or…"

"January," he shook his head.

"I know, I know," she frowned, then, "Is it okay if I invite Santana to come see the room?"

"Yeah, of course," he nodded.

"Thanks again for this," she indicated the room.

"I promised you a solution, didn't I? Though I'd say this is more of a compromise. We're going to have to do a lot of that if we're going to make this work, but I think we'll be fine."

"We will be, all of us," she declared.

"All of us," he repeated, smiling as he watched her go back to inspecting the wallpaper.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Step Nineteen, Find Your Way

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 2._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**4. Step Nineteen, Find Your Way**

All Brittany had asked at first was whether she was busy that weekend. She'd said yes; even if she had been busy, barring anything life or death, she would have freed herself for her somehow. It took a few more days for her to realize the blonde had something in mind for that weekend, something special. Santana didn't know that she had any big ideas as to what that thing might be, but when she found out what it was, it wasn't what she'd expected, not even a little. Friday afternoon, Brittany had come clean with it: she wanted Santana to help her redecorate a room to become a nursery for the baby as well as a bedroom for Kurt to stay in when they weren't at his house, where she had her own room, too. She'd be there for her. There were things she wouldn't say, but she would be there.

When she'd arrived, she was surprised to find the room they were redoing was Melinda's. "She's going to take the guest bedroom. It's bigger anyway," Brittany explained.

"Are we redoing that room, too?" Santana asked.

"No, I'm redoing that one with her," she revealed, smiling. "Besides, this one's right next to mine, so it's easier with the baby." The furniture had all been cleared, the floor covered, and in the middle were the supplies they'd need for the day. Santana could see some paint cans, rolls of wallpaper border… She picked one up to see the design.

"Winnie the Pooh, like at Kurt's," she nodded.

"Well, it's different, but I thought that way the two rooms would be connected," Brittany smiled, looking at the roll. This one was more yellow, golden, with a less muted version of the stuffed bear and his friends.

"It's cute," Santana couldn't help but smile, and Brittany matched it. "So, what, you want to paint the bottom of the wall, then put the border?" she guessed, looking at the white walls, and the cans of paint she could see were just a bit lighter than the border's yellow.

"Yeah," Brittany confirmed.

"What about doing stripes with the yellow? You know, white, yellow, white, yellow…" she mimed. Brittany's face scrunched – she wasn't sure how that'd work. "It'll be easy, you'll see." She could tell this meant a lot to her, and she wasn't about to let her down. "If you're tired, you stop, okay?"

"I will."

So they got started. Brittany watched as Santana set in strips of tape all along the walls. Just to make sure they wouldn't paint in the wrong sections, she crossed out the white sections with more tape. Eventually, each armed with paint and a roller, they began side by side and worked their way around the room, painting the stripes, so that when they'd be done they'd end up side by side again.

"Your parents are okay with Kurt staying here and you staying over there?" Santana asked when they were about on opposite walls.

"Heard them talking about it for a while, then they said they agreed it was the best compromise, too. They've been talking with Burt, and we're going to give it all a try at some point. But neither of us will have to be away from the baby, so… that's all that matters," Santana could feel the smile in her words, even though they were back to back, painting their stripes. No one could question those two's dedication to the child they were about to have… and no one should dare question hers either.

When they were done with the paint, as they waited, the question became how to set the wallpaper border. Brittany was just concerned it would end up crooked, or torn, or wrinkly… Santana shook her head, promising it would be perfect. As proof that they were doing pretty damn good already, the tape was removed, revealing their stripes, which Santana declared 'flawless.' So they went on to applying the border. It would be her who did most of it, with Brittany on assist. She wouldn't say anything, but still she'd give the odd nervous noise, and Santana would tell her they were doing just fine.

The end result was already more perfect than she could have anticipated, and once they had added the furniture it was even better. She hooked up her arm to Santana's, looking to her, smiling. "Thank you, it's like something from a magazine."

"Yeah, we did good," Santana agreed, looking around.

She'd gone home after that, while Brittany waited for Kurt. She'd called him to surprise him with the room, even though he already knew she was going to be working on it. Since they'd gotten the furniture into the room, Santana couldn't get something out of her mind. When she'd arrived home, she'd gone straight to the basement. They had a store room, Christmas decorations, Halloween decorations, summer items, and things they weren't using but had still kept, just in case…

The crib had been hers before it had been her sister's. It was still in great condition, all things considered, and it just sat there. She stopped once she'd found it and she just kept staring at it.

She didn't know what to do. She thought she would, but after all this time she was still stuck. Worse than that, the closer they got to the due date, the more cornered she felt by needing to sort out thoughts, and feelings, and everything else…

She was still trying to make sense of who she was, and what she wanted in life… She knew who she wanted. More than ever, she knew who she wanted, but that didn't make it any easier… it only made it harder. And now with the baby… Kurt had been right; she would care for him, protect him, as good as if he'd come out of her. She had no claim to him at that point. She was not his mother, not by blood or by law, she was just a teenage girl in love with his mother, whether she'd said a thing about it or not.

She wasn't sure that she'd realized it before, not as much as she did that day, but she did want in that baby's life. She wanted to take the leap, change her life… But she didn't know how. For all her talk, when it came down to it there were still things that could scare the shit out of her, and screwing this up, the thought of screwing this up, it terrified her.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Step Twenty, Keep A Look Out

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Something Good._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**5. Step Twenty, Keep A Look Out**

It was the first really 'disgustingly sunny and gorgeous day of summer,' and as such Brittany had made but one request to Kurt and Santana both: they had to go to the beach. There was some hesitation on Kurt's part, but with the promise of sunscreen and a parasol, he was sold. A couple of hours later, there they sat, beach towels laid out, parasol planted and opened, sunglasses, everything and anything they might need to make this day go off as smoothly as possible… It was as close to paradise as Lima, Ohio could provide, and the three of them were at peace.

"Are you two going out there?" Santana asked, nodding to the water as she stood to pull off shorts and shirt. Kurt just gave her a look, no words. "So that's a no for you. Britt?" she looked down to the blonde, who looked up, squinting despite the sunglasses.

"Later," she promised.

"Alright, suit yourselves," Santana tossed off sandals and shades before heading out toward the water. Kurt just reached for the sunscreen, though he did look sideways to see something. As Santana retreated further along, Brittany watched her go, and Kurt just gave himself quiet confirmation. He couldn't say for sure, but he'd put money on the fact that the blonde was just checking out her dear friend and fellow Cheerio.

"You're not even going to go at all?" Brittany asked Kurt as they sat on their own.

"As tempting as that is, I don't feel like coming home as a human-sized strip of bacon," he shook his head and she made a poor attempt of not laughing at the visual.

"It wouldn't be that bad," she insisted.

"Oh, it would be," he shook his head.

"You just don't want Santana to see you without your shirt off, is that it?" He sat up, looking almost startled, though he covered.

"No, it's not…"

"I've seen you without your shirt on, you've got nothing to worry about," she promised, and she wasn't sure if he was blushing or just getting hit by the sun, but she'd go with flustered. "Come on, come swim with us," she begged, reaching to tug his hand.

"I'll consider it!" he pulled back, hoping it would satisfy her for now. It did.

When Santana returned, squeezing water out of her hair, she looked about as moody as one should be, having been the only taker for the swim. "Can we go in five minutes?" Brittany asked her as she laid out on her towel, shades back on. She didn't reply at first, then…

"Ten minutes," she declared, turning a smile to Brittany, who turned one toward Kurt, begging again. He was uncertain again. "What's wrong, Hummel, do you have man boobs under there?" Santana teased playfully, maybe to get a rise out of him so he'd do it.

"You stop that right now," Kurt frowned at her.

"We should try and find him someone," Brittany suddenly looked to Santana, who looked intrigued. Kurt, for his part, looked mortified.

"Try and find me someone?" he repeated, though Brittany took this as a request.

"Has to be someone sweet," she nodded to Santana, who was barely keeping it together, seeing the look on Kurt's face behind her. "And that wouldn't be scared because of the baby."

"Even just a nice little summer fling would do," she suggested, though Brittany didn't like the idea.

"It should be more than that," she insisted.

"Excuse me, ladies, if I can have a word in this?" Kurt cut in.

"Face it, you need the help. You haven't exactly kept a nice track record, your only dates have been girls. I'm no expert here, but that doesn't add up. So how about you let the two of us take a crack at it?"

"It's more complicated than that," Kurt insisted.

"Enlighten me," Santana waved to him, waiting. He hesitated, looking to them.

"In case you haven't noticed, not a lot of kids at school who are pushing to have people know they're gay," he stated, and he knew his 'subtle' message hadn't gone unheard. "And even then, right now, I can't think about any of that," he sat back, and Brittany turned to look at him.

"Why not?" she asked. He would have lied, if it had been anyone but her asking.

"I just need to focus and prepare for life from October and onward," he stated simply, giving a nod down and she looked to her belly.

"But, Kurt…"

"No, it's okay. Some things are more important than others. And right now there's nothing more important to me than to make sure I'll be a good father to our son or daughter." It didn't take a whole lot to get Brittany crying these days, and this did it, though she was still smiling, and she slipped her arms around him to hold.

"Doesn't mean you don't get to be happy," Santana told him, her tone much softer now, and both Brittany and him looked to her. It took him a moment to pull back the need to point out she might take that advice for herself.

"I am going to be happy. I don't worry about that," he shook his head. "Thank you for the concern, but you don't need to…" They sat as they were for a moment, then Santana seemed to make a decision, pushing herself to her feet.

"Alright, up, both of you," she gestured. "We're going swimming." Kurt again seemed hesitant, but then he could see Brittany turning those blue eyes on him, and he didn't have a choice anymore.

"Fine, alright, let's go," he relented, getting up and giving Brittany a hand as she got up. Clothes were ditched to reveal the bathing suits underneath, and Brittany was the first to dash off. "Careful!" he called after her.

"Come on, Kurt!" she called after him and he did as told, Santana following along.

Kurt didn't stay too long in the water, wanting to regain the shade so he wouldn't burn up, but all three of them were there to enjoy this sunny day, and that was what they did. Eventually they'd returned to the towels, the parasols, and the ease. The next few days, of all people, the one who'd gone and helped him tend to his burned skin was Santana. They didn't talk of motives or hidden reasons. She just helped, and he just said thank you.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. Step TwentyOne, Mind Your Balance

**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: _You'll Find Wonder, chapter 3_.

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**6. Step Twenty-One, Mind Your Balance**

Young Melinda Pierce had not known who to call first. Obviously, their parents had been first, but they were out of town, so after that, and after 911… She had called the one she'd known the longest – Santana. Her frantic little voice had expedited everything. Once she'd gotten her to calm a bit, Santana was able to get the facts from her.

Brittany had fallen, something Melinda sniffled on to insist was her fault, and she wouldn't get up. There was already an ambulance on the way, but her parents had told her to call someone who could meet them at the hospital faster than they could, so she wouldn't be alone. Santana promised her she would be there for her, made sure she had her cell number handy if she needed to call between now and the time they'd see each other. When they'd hung up, the ambulance had already arrived.

Her hands were shaking, but her mind was clear. She grabbed her shoes, phone, car keys… She tossed the shoes in the passenger seat, put the keys in the ignition, paused… Taking a breath, she dialled up Kurt. She couldn't sound as scared as she was when he answered.

It had been Burt to pick up. When he'd heard her voice it hadn't taken him long to understand something had happened, and soon Kurt was on the line. She told him what she knew, and he said he'd meet her at the hospital. After that she'd tossed the phone with her shoes and driven off. She did her best not to speed, not wanting to get pulled over or slowed down in any other way, even though she cursed out anyone and anything that slowed her getting to where she had to be.

When she arrived, she found Melinda waiting with a nurse. The moment the girl saw her, she came running and dove in her arms. Santana held her close, breathing out, rubbing her back, calming her as best she could. She was still trying to get someone to tell her what was happening when Kurt came running in, Burt behind him.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, and Santana threw him a look, indicating Melinda still in her arms. He closed his eyes for a second, then started over. "What happened, is she okay? Is the…"

"I don't know, they won't tell me anything because I'm not family," she frowned.

"Let me give it a shot," Burt shook his head and went ahead of them. Santana and Kurt took Melinda and they went to sit down. Brittany's sister had calmed herself right into falling asleep, which left the two of them to talk.

"They're going to be okay, right?" Kurt had to ask, looking to Santana. He was as terrified as she was.

"I… I don't know, but I h…" She bowed her head, unable to speak. She wanted to assume the best, but then what would happen if she was wrong and… She reached up and swiped away at the first tears that had escaped. She knew he was looking for reassurances, but she couldn't give them to him, not when she was scared, too.

"Hey…" he breathed, reaching to hold her hand. She looked down, and for a moment they could almost have laughed, thinking of days when they wouldn't have ever wanted contact, much less hand holding. "I'll hope for the both of us, okay?"

"Yeah, you do that," she sniffled, breathing out.

"Talk to her," he begged, and she let go of his hand.

"Not that again, not now," she shook her head.

"If not now, then when?" he asked, and she looked down to Melinda, sleeping on the next seat but with her head in Santana's lap. When the nurses had said she couldn't see Brittany because she wasn't family, that had been almost too much… She was family, felt like it, way deep down, but then she wouldn't be, not really, until she said something, right?

"Hey…" They looked up to find Burt had returned. Kurt rose, while Santana was bound to her seat by the small girl resting there. "She's fine, her and the baby," he announced, and Kurt's legs had turned to jelly from the relief. He sat back down, breathing freely once again.

"Thanks… Dad, thank you," he looked up, and Burt reached to squeeze his shoulder.

"Can we see her?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, go on, I'll stay with her," he indicated Melinda. He carefully lifted her away, not disturbing her in any way. Once the others had seen Brittany and seen for themselves that she was alright, they could wake Melinda up and take her in to see her.

Kurt and Santana found her sitting up in the bed, and found no discernible mark of the incident on her except her wrist, wrapped in a bandage. When she saw them, her eyes went wide with relief. "You're okay," Santana both observed and asked, reaching to hug her and getting hugged back.

"Yeah," she promised, and she still sounded scared. When Santana stepped aside, the hugging carried on with Kurt, and when he pulled back, he reached to put a hand over her belly.

"They checked him out, right? I mean really checked…" Brittany reached to the side and showed him the readings from the monitor.

"That's his heart there, see?"

"And that's it?" Santana asked.

"They said they'd run some more tests, and that I should rest, but I can go home soon," she breathed her relief. Santana reached for the wrist that was wrapped up. "Not broken," Brittany declared. Then she remembered. "Where's Mels?"

"My father's got her," Kurt reassured her.

"She was scared, but she did good," Santana told her, smiling.

"I have to tell her it wasn't her fault, she was crying, and she was saying it was because of her, but it wasn't, I just fell and then I was hurting and I just… I couldn't get up, didn't want to make anything worse…" she recounted.

"Wait, so when she said you wouldn't get up… You would not, like you wouldn't do it?" Santana asked, and Brittany shook her head. "I thought you'd passed out…" Santana closed her eyes.

"No, no," Brittany promised. "I'm sorry I scared you," she looked from one to the next.

"We're just glad you're both okay," Kurt promised.

"Britt!" They looked over and saw Melinda coming their way, Burt jogging to catch up with her.

"She woke up," he announced, as the short girl came up to the bed. Kurt didn't miss a beat, lifting her up to get her to her big sister. Brittany hugged her close.

"I'm okay, Mels, it's fine," she spoke at her ear. It would take some time before they could all accept that fact. But she was going to be okay, and so was the baby. It had been a scare, but in the long run maybe one that would have spoken volumes.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	7. Step TwentyTwo, Release Fear

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Back in the Saddle._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**7. Step Twenty-Two, Release Fear**

It had been one week now since Brittany had taken her fall. She was already more than dedicated to the notion that she had to take things easy for a while, and in case she ever attempted to do otherwise, she had plenty of people there to remind her. She was glad to have them there, if she was to be honest. They lightened things up, which she needed. As the days passed they had found that the incident had made certain things resurface.

She had gotten over her initial fears from the beginning of the pregnancy after a while. She didn't walk at a snail's pace for fear of hitting something or being hit by something or someone that would risk hurting the baby, or she didn't keep herself from doing things – within reason. She was still properly careful, but none more than that. She had found the right level.

Only now after the fall, everything had changed, steps taken back. At first it had been easy to mistake it for her taking things easy, but as the days had passed and even her wrist was getting better, she was still erring on the side of caution to the point of fear. The first time around the baby had been so small there was nothing to see, which had been cause for concern that anything could damage him. But now here she was, very nearly six months along, and all she had to do was look down… In the last week, asking her to go up or down the stairs was a wager to see whether or not she'd do it, and should they ever convince her, then they had to be ready for her to take as long as she felt she needed. They could see in her eyes how much she was afraid to fall again.

Kurt had gone to Santana and together they agreed to go and see her, hoping they could help her get back to a place where she felt safe. It wasn't doing her any good to stay cooped up in her room day in and day out. When they got to her house, that was exactly where they found her, laid out in bed watching television. They knocked at the door and she looked back.

"Hi," she blinked, reaching for the remote to turn the television and sitting up to look at them. They came to sit with her on the bed.

"How are you doing?" Santana asked.

"I'm fine," she promised, reaching to push her hair behind her ears.

"Brittany, we're… well, we're worried about you," Kurt spoke up.

"You are? Why?"

"Well, when's the last time you left the house?" Santana asked, and that was all she needed to say for Brittany to understand what she was getting at. Her face flinched.

"I can't help it," she insisted. "I feel like I'm going to fall all the time," she whimpered.

"Like you're dizzy?" Santana asked.

"No, not even," Brittany shook her head.

"You were doing fine before. What happened last week, it was just an accident, they happen. It doesn't mean they happen all the time. You couldn't have seen it coming," Kurt pointed out, and Santana realized he'd used the wrong words before he did.

"Exactly. I didn't see it coming. Maybe I won't see the next one coming either, but that time…" she looked down to herself, pressed both hands to her belly.

"You can't let fear control you like this. You're one of the most courageous people I know," Santana promised her, winning a small smile for it. "And if that baby takes after both of you," she shared this statement with both her and Kurt, "Then he's going to be pretty damn strong."

"I'm with Santana on that one," Kurt bowed his head in thanks to her. "Strong family unit," now it was him sharing this look with her, and she took it, knowing he would still include her, regardless of her own difficulties with getting started… "Strong kid," he smiled to Brittany, and if she wasn't smiling so much in that moment, her tears would have worried them, but now they knew maybe they were getting somewhere.

"I think I know something else that might help you feel better," Santana smiled, getting an idea.

It would be three days before she could bring her thought to fruition. That afternoon, Brittany had made her way down the stairs, still slow to go though it was more due to her condition than it was to any concerns she might have been feeling. She was going to see if Melinda wanted to watch a movie, and then she'd heard voices, from the back. She frowned, confused. Her parents were out, so who…

She followed the sound and it led her to the backyard. She opened the door and as she stepped out, they saw her, and she saw them… they were all here, the McKinley High New Directions… She both startled and laughed at once and they all greeted her in a heap of voices before she moved up and it was one hug after another. Rachel was in awe of how Brittany's belly had grown since last she'd seen her, Tina felt for a kick, as did most of them afterward, Quinn asked how she was doing…

If the talk with Kurt and Santana had started her on the way to feeling better, the visit from the Glee Club that day had definitely continued her on that way. It would take a while more for her to be comfortable with herself again without fearing she'd hurt the baby at anything, but eventually they could see a significant shift in her, and the dark cloud of her fall had gone and cleared up.

She took their words with great care, and she believed them. Their child would be strong, like them. They would teach him right, teach him to love. The closer they got to her due date, the more she just wanted to meet him. He probably would know that his conception had not been under the most convenient of circumstances, but they would tell him that this didn't change the fact that they loved him, cared for him so much, even now, before he was born, and they did everything in their power to keep him safe.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	8. Step TwentyThree, Collect Your Dues

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Lost Days & Cinnamon Hearts._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**8. Step Twenty-Three, Collect Your Dues**

July rolled around, and it brought along more changes. It also brought uncertainties closer to light. Santana had been attending Brittany's doctor's appointments on and off through the months, but it was all fairly routine. This next one wasn't routine, it was anticipated. On that day, they would finally settle a long-standing question: boy or girl.

Both Kurt and Brittany had decided they wanted to know or, at least, want to know for sure. Brittany's faith in the fact that they were having a boy was unshakable. She was so convinced that it was hard not to agree with her, but then Kurt couldn't ignore the chance that it was going to be a girl either. When the opportunity had presented itself, the choice had not been hard. They wanted to know, so they would find out. When they had their date for the appointment, Brittany had told Santana.

She said she couldn't come. Brittany had begged her to try and find a way, and Santana had said she would give it a shot, but that she couldn't make any promises. Brittany still went on giving those begging blue eyes, and Santana had felt rotten.

She could go, should go… wouldn't… couldn't, emotionally. All this time, she had been fighting through what she knew of herself, what she wasn't sure of… And then Kurt, he had to go and be right, just had to be able to put into words what she couldn't. But that wasn't going to be enough, not for everything that was at stake. And now here they were, July, three months to go, and she still couldn't make herself move. She wanted to go to the appointment, of course she did. She needed to see that boy – she was of one mind with Brittany on that one – see how he was growing, closer to being born every day. But if she couldn't own up to anything, then she didn't belong there, didn't deserve it…

The day before the appointment, she had gotten a text from Kurt. All it said was 'Come now, she's going to buy the whole store,' with the address to a store. She frowned and replied that she was on her way. These days Brittany had gone and raided a catalogue, marking it with so many post-its that the thing had tripled in thickness. She hadn't bought anything yet, but she hadn't given up the possibility. So she went to meet them, hoping neither of her parents had been careless enough to let her go with a credit card.

When she arrived, Kurt was standing outside. "You left her alone in there? What are you thinking?" she shook her head as she came up. He smiled, poking his head through the door.

"Britt, she's here," he called in and the blonde came sauntering out, in a new dress that made her look nothing short of the prettiest pregnant girl ever.

"What do you think?" she grinned, turning around.

"Looks great," Santana smiled, her heart venting up tears as it fluttered. She barely kept it together.

"Good, so ready to go?" Kurt asked Brittany.

"Yes!" she almost squeaked.

"Wait, that's it? You said…" Santana frowned.

"We should go in. Wouldn't want to be late," Kurt now turned to her. Before she could ask 'late for what,' they were moving to cross the street… to the clinic. She felt a chill, wondering how she hadn't realized they were right across from it. "It was a stroke of luck that there was an opening to move the appointment up one day, wasn't it?"

"Oh, a stroke of something alright," Santana was well aware of Brittany's presence at her side.

"I have to change back, don't want to get the dress dirty but I wanted to show it to you," Brittany explained as they went into the elevator.

"Yeah, good thinking," Santana nodded. They were just about on time, so Brittany made a quick dash to the bathroom to change, leaving the other two alone. As soon as the door was shut, Santana had whipped around on Kurt. "Okay, what the hell?" her voice was as good as her grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and shoving him to the wall.

"You'll thank me for it later," he spoke through gritted teeth. She opened her mouth to reply just as the door opened a crack.

"The girl at the store zipped me up," Brittany frowned. Santana threw another dagger or five at Kurt before following Brittany into the bathroom to help her out.

Soon they were in the doctor's office, with Brittany sitting back and pulling her shirt up to uncover her belly, while Kurt and Santana stood over her shoulders. The doctor came in, as cheerful as ever, asking if they were ready to find out what they were having. Brittany was already convinced, maintained that she wasn't going to 'find out' a thing. Kurt just said yes. Santana gave a quiet nod. Her heart was going mad now for another reason. Being there, she couldn't deny that she was more anxious for the discovery than apprehensive about being there. She'd kick Kurt's ass later, but now she was here and…

"Well looks like he finally turned to say hello," the doctor nodded to the screen. Kurt and Santana both had that shocked sort of look at hearing the pronoun. Brittany just grinned, pointing blindly over her shoulders.

"I told you, didn't I?"

Santana grasped the outstretched hand without looking away from the screen, covering her mouth with her other hand, unsure what emotion was going to grab her first and what it would to do to her if she didn't keep them in check.

"Hey…" She looked down, finding Brittany staring back at her. "I'm glad you could come," she hadn't looked this happy in months.

"Me too," Santana's voice felt small, drowning in her throat.

Kurt hadn't been able to tear his eyes from the screen. It wasn't the first time they'd seen the baby there, but now… now he was a boy, now he was… his son. He was going to have a son, in just under three months, and he was going to be this boy's father. All he could think was they weren't ready. They had been preparing, all this time, but they still weren't ready yet. So many things had to be done, and they were running out of time. They had to pick up the pace.

But then he thought of years to come, of raising him. He had never felt more blessed to have Burt Hummel as his own father, of having spent sixteen years learning what it meant to be a good one from him. He was going to set a good example for his son, sharing in the knowledge he had gained from his father, even as he himself still had some learning of his own to do.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	9. Step TwentyFour, Don't Listen

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 4._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**9. Step Twenty-Four, Don't Listen**

After getting the dress from the shop across the street from the clinic, Brittany had wanted to get some more new maternity clothes. Knowing that the place was much too expensive beyond the one dress she'd gotten, Santana had offered for the two of them to take a trip down to the mall together and find her loads of new things. As much as she was all for the pricier items on most days, she was definitely seeing the big picture here, and her usual approach just wouldn't cut it.

So they went to the mall, entering the maternity clothing store with a mission and a plan to execute it. They hadn't met a store that they couldn't work. Soon Santana could see Brittany was happy with what she was finding, so she decided they were doing pretty good.

"What about this one?" Brittany asked as they moved to another section and she looked at a shirt on display. "Might look good with the pants, the black ones?"

"Brittany?" Santana spoke all of a sudden, and when the blonde looked back at her, she tried to move so she wouldn't look behind herself, but she did.

Outside the store windows, the small group of girls just stood there staring at them, and almost like they'd been laughing a moment before. Santana and Brittany knew them all well, by name and more. The girls were on the Cheerios with them, or had been. In the fall, just as in the last couple months of the school year, they would only be on the squad with Santana, not Brittany. She hadn't wanted her to see them, but now she had, and Santana could see the effect on her face already, the wounded look just lighting a fury in her.

"Stay here," Santana told her, but Brittany caught her hand.

"No, it's okay, stay," she shook her head. Santana frowned. She didn't want them to think they could just come at her like this, but then she thought of the last few months, how the kids at school had gotten to messing with her since her 'little secret' had been exposed. They had all sought to protect her, defend her, she did, and Kurt, and the Glee Club… But it was her battle more than it was theirs, and in her eyes this was the course to take, so that would be the one she took, too.

"Yeah, okay," Santana nodded finally, breathing back her anger and seeing how Brittany nodded in approval. "They'll go away," she agreed. "Not like they'd be caught in here, unless they want people getting the wrong idea," she took out her phone, pointing to the camera on the back. She turned, staring them down from across the store and waving the phone at them, with a look that told it clear: Either leave, or people are going to be wondering what you were doing in a maternity clothing store. The girls frowned, but then they walked away. "How's that?" she turned back to Brittany with a victorious smile. The blonde laughed, leaning to press a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," she bowed her head.

"I'm buying you that shirt. It'll look great on you," Santana nodded to the display.

"Okay," Brittany grinned.

When they were done at the store, they went to the food court. Brittany was exhausted, needed to sit. Santana went and got them something to drink. She came back, placing the cups between them as she took her seat. "Which one do you want?" she indicated the two different juices. Brittany turned her eyes up, looking at the cups. Something had changed between the time she'd gotten her to sit and now. She looked sad now. "Hey, where are you?" Santana spoke softly, nudging the peach juice toward her.

"Food court," she mumbled, taking a sip from the straw.

"No, I mean… what's going on? You were fine a second ago."

"Just tired, I guess," she shrugged.

"That's not it," Santana pulled her own cup toward herself. "I can see it on your face." Brittany absently reached to wipe at her face. "Hey, come on…" she tried a smile to get her to start talking.

"I don't know, I sort of… forgot."

"Forgot what?" Santana asked.

"The way they look at me now," she turned her eyes up and Santana sighed.

"Screw them, what do they know?"

"No, I know that, but…" She paused.

"But…"

"It's not just them, you know? It's everyone. Even the women at the store. They keep giving me these looks. That's not going to stop, is it?" Now Santana knew, it wasn't just the girls, though they had been part of it. It was all of it. A lot of things had finally connected for her, and they joined together to pack one hell of a punch, all these realizations at once. She'd been doing so good after recovering from the aftermath of her fall, and now… Santana hated seeing her like this, just wanted her to be happy.

"It won't always be like this. Who cares what they think?" she shrugged. "You know who you are; they only think they know."

"What about the baby though, I… I don't want them to think anything bad about him because of me."

"They won't," Santana promised. "Let them try, they'll have to get through me." Brittany let out a breath, remembering words they'd given her like a mantra.

"Strong family unit, strong kid." Santana nodded to herself.

"Damn straight," she agreed. Brittany sat up, taking a sip of her juice, putting the cup down and running a hand across her face.

"I hate feeling like this."

"Yeah, well, the hormones probably aren't helping," Santana pointed out, getting a laugh out of her. "You're going to be okay. You ever feel down again, you let me know, and I'll do my best to get that smile on you again, got it?"

"Got it," Brittany smiled. "You know, they're kind of stupid."

"Who?" Santana asked.

"Janelle and the others," she nodded off toward wherever the shop was, referring to the pack of glaring Cheerios they'd run across.

"Well I knew that," Santana scoffed.

"Yeah, but I've already got those pictures of them and I haven't shown them to anyone…" Now it was Santana who sat bolt upright, curious.

"What pictures?" Brittany reached for her phone, flipped through her albums, put the phone down and turned it for Santana to see. Swiping from picture to picture, her face changed expression about fifteen times. "Why is this the first I see of these?"

"I said I hadn't shown them to anyone, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but it's me," Santana defended herself.

"Like you wouldn't have put them everywhere?" Brittany wasn't fooled.

"Okay, maybe…" Santana admitted. "They really are stupid…" she shook her head.

"I'm not going to let them out, though," Brittany insisted. Santana was still staring at the phone. "Neither are you," she pressed.

"No, I know, I know," she promised, pushing the phone back to her. "Can I still mess with their heads though?" Brittany considered it, mischief seeping out.

"Well maybe just a bit."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	10. Step TwentyFive, Practice Makes Perfect

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 5._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**10. Step Twenty-Five, Practice Makes Perfect**

He didn't anyone seeing him do this or else they'd probably think he'd officially lost it. But the way he looked at things, he needed to do it and this was the best way he knew how. So he had gone out and gotten a hold of what he needed and, when he knew he had the house to himself, he set up in the dining room. He had been at it for no more than five minutes, already frowning in frustration, when he heard something from behind and startled.

"Hey, forgot my wallet…" Burt poked his head in and then paused as soon as he saw the table. He took a couple of steps closer; it wasn't like Kurt was able to move at the moment anyway.

On the table was an open pack of diapers, a couple of them having been pulled out. One of them was halfway wrapped around a plastic baby doll. He took a couple more steps, took one back… Maybe he could control it, maybe he wouldn't… No… No… He was definitely going to laugh. When Kurt saw his father standing there, almost doubled over, red in the face from laughing, he snapped out of his shock.

"It's not funny," he insisted.

"I'm sorry but it kind of is," Burt hiccupped through the laughs. After a moment, Kurt laughed too. Maybe not as strong as his father, but he laughed.

"Okay, fine, maybe it is."

"Need a hand?" Burt indicated the half done diaper.

"No, I can do this," Kurt nodded, sitting back down. "I have to be able to do this on my own."

"Well at least that one is not moving, so there's no danger of anything happening to it. It's another story with the actual baby."

"I know, Dad," Kurt promised. After a moment, Burt sat with him.

"Where'd you get the doll?"

"The attic," he simply replied, and now Burt realized why it looked familiar – it had been Kurt's, when he was about five years old. He had insisted on having it, so they had gotten it for him.

"Can't believe you still had it," Burt shook his head.

"Well I wasn't just going to throw him away," Kurt chuckled, then blinked. "I mean… I thought it might be useful again someday. Was I right or what?"

"Okay, but like I said, that one's not real, whereas…"

"I know, boys will be boys," he rolled his eyes.

"Yes they will," Burt nodded, remembering. "You're not careful, and then you get squirted in the eye," he pointed and got a horrified look from his son. "Sorry…"

"I'll be able to do it fine when it's him for real, but for that I need to figure it out with this one."

"Okay, go for it," Burt sat back, letting him go at it. "It's not that h…"

"Dad, please," Kurt cut him off, so Burt let him go on. He moved very slowly, stopping and starting at everything he did, checking the picture on the bag… Burt was finding it almost impossible not to reach in and help him, but he resisted, until finally the plastic baby – Zurt, he seemed to remember was its name – was good and diapered.

"Alright, now, if you can do it in about five minutes less…" Burt spoke carefully. Kurt groaned, reaching for a new diaper. "Hey, it's okay, I mean it's your first attempt. I wasn't a pro at the beginning either, how do you think I got s…"

"Don't say squirted," Kurt begged.

"The point is I got better at it. And you will, too. Now come on, take that one off and try again."

"Okay," he sighed, starting to pull off the perfectly-placed-because-it-took-over-five-minutes diaper from Zurt the plastic baby. Staring at the once again bare toy, he paused.

"Take your time, just, you know… less." Kurt looked up to his father – he wasn't in the mood to try it again now. "You okay?"

"It's just… Santana told me about something that happened, yesterday, while she and Brittany were at the mall. Some girls, Cheerios, they were staring… laughing… It upset Brittany. I know how she feels." Burt hesitated, knowing the girl had spoken to him in confidence back then, but he figured under the circumstances…

"Are they still picking on you, too?" he asked, making sure to keep calm so Kurt would know he could talk it out with him.

"Yeah, sometimes. Not as much as in the beginning, but… yeah."

"Look, I can talk to your principal, or Schuester, but I know you don't want that, so… What do you want me to do, anything, I'll be there for you, alright?"

"I know," Kurt promised. "But it's okay, we'll get through it, what they all say, with or without words. I'm not scared of them."

"I know you're not," Burt bowed his head with pride.

"I chose this," he declared. "Not the getting pregnant part, but them knowing I was the father… I could have said nothing and they never would have suspected. You know, when Brittany told the Glee Club, and she said that the father was in the room, they looked to every single guy except me, because they figured 'well it won't be him,'" he shrugged. "If I'd kept quiet, they wouldn't have known, they wouldn't have picked on me… But if I'd kept quiet, then I would have felt like a coward and a cheat, and I'm neither of those things," he shook his head.

"No, you most certainly aren't," Burt agreed.

"They can tease all they want, but they're not going to make me feel ashamed of the fact I'm about to have a son." Burt smiled, getting up.

"You keep practicing with that diaper then," he told him, clapping him on the shoulder and heading off to get his previously forgotten wallet so he could head out as he was supposed to. Deep down, no matter how hard it was to deal with the fact that his teenaged son was about to be a father himself, he had never doubted that he would handle the whole thing with all the dignity and the care in the world. Now he was seeing that more and more, as the days ticked away. He knew, maybe more than Kurt could realize now, that his son would be a great father.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	11. Step TwentySix, Ease Into It

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 6._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**11. Step Twenty-Six, Ease Into It**

It had already been weeks since they had fixed up their respective guest bedrooms into a nursery and room for the other, but so far the rooms only just sat there. Now Kurt was thinking they needed to do something about that.

He'd gone to find her at her house, looking at a magazine in her room. "Checking out the latest celebrity hook-ups?" he joked, and she held up the magazine so he could see the cover. "Knitting?" he blinked, not expecting that.

"I want to try and learn, but I'm afraid I'll stab myself or something, I mean they use needles," she shook her head as though reprimanding the knitters of the world.

"Yeah, but they're bigger, like," he mimed it and her eyes went wide.

"That's even worse!"

"You won't stab yourself," he insisted. "And if you really want to learn, I can show you," he smiled.

"You knit?" she asked.

"I… dabble," he shrugged it off like it was no big deal, and she just laughed. "Okay, so I'm fantastic," he admitted, and she nodded. "But good, so that's something we can do on your trial run."

"My trial what?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about. We put together those rooms last month and we haven't used them yet," he explained.

"Well, yeah, the baby's still here," she pointed down.

"I know he is, but I was thinking we could give it a shot before, see what it's like staying at each other's houses, so we can see how it goes, maybe see what we might need to get or change… You stay at my house one night, and I'll stay at yours one night, too."

"Okay," she smiled.

"Great, so I'd like to invite you to come and stay over, how about tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good," she agreed.

The next day, Brittany arrived at the Hummel house in mid to late afternoon, lugging a suitcase and her 'special pillow,' which had been a gift from Santana, for the days when she couldn't be with her to nap. "Need a hand?" Kurt observed the load she carried.

"I'm good," she shook her head, going on ahead.

"At least let me take the suitcase up the stairs," he begged.

"Okay," she turned it around so he could get a hold of the handle. "Thanks." They went up to the room with the purple Winnie the Pooh wallpaper, and Brittany put her pillow on the bed before turning to get her suitcase and unpack.

"You know you can leave clothes and things here, so you don't have to bring a suitcase every time," he pointed out. She stood up, thinking.

"Yeah, that's true," she smiled. He watched her go about putting her things away, and he definitely could see an improvement in her spirits compared to the last little while. She was looking more and more like the Brittany they all knew and loved, only now with a maternal kick.

Before long they were sitting to dinner, him, and her, and his father. "Hope it's alright," Burt told her as he set the plates down. "I'm not that much of a cook," he admitted.

"That's okay, neither am I," she smiled, getting one out of him, too.

"We gotta stick together," he held his hand out and she shook it. Kurt just had to admire how much those two were getting along like old pals now. Brittany was not hard to love if you really got to know her, and Burt had, over these months, now that she was the mother of his soon-to-be grandson. It wasn't as though he expected that kind of relationship with the Pierces, as 'the guy who got their teenage daughter pregnant.' They were dealing with the situation, and he knew they were helping her along, but him… he wasn't sure what to expect of it. He guessed he would soon find out; next week it was going to be his turn, staying at the Pierce house for a trial run night.

After dinner, they had gone back to the nursery, where Kurt presented Brittany with the items she would need as he got her started with the knitting, as promised. She still looked apprehensive about the whole thing, especially when he'd handed her the needles, but she trusted him, so she said she'd give it a shot. They sat face to face on the bed, with a breakfast tray in between them, holding what they would need. Slowly, he showed her how to get started.

"Okay, don't hold those like that or you really will stab yourself," he frowned, and she dropped.

"I can't," she shook her head.

"Yes, you can, come on," he encouraged, so she sighed and tried again. "There, see, it's fine."

"Can I just watch you first?"

"Sure, that might be a good idea," he sat up. As he worked, he could feel her watching him closely, concentrated. He took a breath. "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay," she didn't look away from his hands.

"How's everything going, with you and Santana?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" He did remember what she had said, a few months before their 'fateful voyage' in his basement, how she had very plainly stated that she and Santana had been sleeping together, but he didn't want to go that route. "You two are friends…"

"Best friends," Brittany confirmed, smiling.

"Yes, but I mean Mercedes and I are best friends, too, but not the same as you and Santana are, you know?" Her smile had a flicker of something intimate.

"No, probably not," she agreed.

"And that's all it is?" he asked, and he could see her consider the question.

"Well… no, not exactly." He wasn't sure if he should ask any further, if he hadn't already intruded too far. He could say as much as he wanted that Brittany was carrying his son and, as such, he needed to know certain things, but it was more than that, and already he was properly overstepping his bounds. "I mean, I love her, I…" she shrugged, and the way she said it he knew the pause had not been for realizing it for the first time – she already knew – but that there were complications, and of those she was just as aware. He had learned more than he had anticipated, and she'd hardly said a word.

For the next little while, he knitted, and she watched, and neither of them said a thing. When he stopped, she touched the pattern he had created and she smiled. "You can learn to do it, too, I know you can," he told her. "You can take these with you."

They'd gone and watched television for a while before they went and got ready for bed. He went to check in on her once more before saying goodnight, and then he'd gone off to his room. Lying in his bed now, he sighed. He knew Santana's side of things, at least to some degree, and now he knew of Brittany's side as well. What it could mean for both of them was a lot harder though. He could have just told one what he knew about the other, but it wasn't his place to do it, had to come from them. He knew he had told them he wanted to just focus on the baby, and that was true, but it didn't mean he didn't think about it. And getting to know those two girls, clueless to what they could have, he just wished he could say the same for himself…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	12. Step TwentySeven, Picture It

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Fire Light Ignites._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**12. Step Twenty-Seven, Picture It**

He must have packed and repacked his suitcase about twelve times. All he could think about, beyond what he needed, was what impression he would give through the things that he brought. He tried to remind himself that they were okay with him being there, if they had even allowed Brittany to transform her little sister's old bedroom into a nursery for the baby and a bedroom for him on the nights he would be there. He had seen them on a number of occasion, being at their house, and first off at the restaurant the night Brittany had told them she was pregnant… They were polite with him, and they were good people, he couldn't deny that. But he made them uneasy, he knew.

They were all going to have to start getting to know each other if he ever had hopes of moving past that. Like it or not, their lives were linked now, linked by his son-to-be. So finally he got his suitcase ready, and he was off to the Pierce house.

He arrived, rang the bell, waited… and was greeted by Mrs. Pierce. "Kurt, hello," she smiled, letting him in. "Here, why don't I go and put that in the room, the girls are outside," she pointed the way.

"Okay, thanks," he nodded and went as told. So far she seemed alright, and he told himself maybe he should lighten up a bit instead of expecting them to whip out a shotgun at any moment.

He could hear laughing and squealing even as he neared the door. When he opened it, he saw what it was that had Brittany and Melinda so noisy. The small Pierce girl zigzagged her way around the yard, in her bathing suit, while her big sister, armed with the hose, chased her by way of the jet of water. Melinda would go about, trying not to get hit, though Kurt could already see Brittany had caught her before.

"Can't catch me! Too fast!" Melinda was squealing, running… "Kurt!" she saw him. Upon hearing his name, Brittany turned, and the next thing he saw was water… lots of water. Brittany gasped.

"Sorry, I didn't see you!" she laughed, shutting off the hose to come up to him. He was soaked from mid-chest and up, dripping, blinking.

"It's okay," he promised, looking at himself, still a bit startled. "It was refreshing…" She laughed, reaching for a towel from the clothes line and bringing it to him. "Thank you."

"You're all wet," Melinda came up to them.

"Yes, I am, so are you," he looked to the girl, who clung to Brittany's side. "Good thing I came here with some clothes."

"I can help you unpack," Brittany nodded, sounding like she was looking for a way to make up for splashing him.

"Okay, sounds good."

With Melinda having stayed back to jump the sprinklers, they'd gone up to the nursery. She could still remember how impressed he'd been when he'd seen Santana and her handiwork. He'd been just as amazed and touched as she had been, and he had admired her choice of a wallpaper border and how it matched the room back at his house with the Winnie the Pooh motif. Now he was able to pull out the things from his suitcase and put them in the drawers and closet.

"How goes the scarf?" he asked.

In the last week, they had discovered something that had gone and astounded them all: Brittany was some kind of knitting whiz kid. Any task Kurt put her to she mastered in a heartbeat, and before long it was as though she had surpassed him. Santana called it her 'pregnant lady superpowers.' Either way, she loved it.

"Finished," she informed him, sitting on the bed. "It's in the drawer there," she pointed.

"You…" he turned, opened the drawer in question and pulled out the scarf. It was blue, beautiful… "How did you…" he was amazed into wordlessness. She just smiled.

"Too bad you can't really wear it right now since it's July. But you can take it with you when you go to the movies," she suggested, knowing of his tendency to get chilly there.

"I will, thank you."

"Maybe I can make you a matching hat."

When they were called down to dinner Kurt had changed into a new shirt, redid his hair. Brittany must have known how nervous he was. Sitting at his side, she had given him a small nod of encouragement. It was on that day that Kurt had gotten to realize maybe he'd had it wrong about the Pierces, or the part where they held anything against him at least. He could have seen it from Mr. Pierce, who in some aspects reminded Kurt of his own father, but it was Mrs. Pierce who had made him see.

As the meal had ended and the others had dispersed, Kurt had insisted to help Mrs. Pierce with clearing the table and with the dishes. She must have seen how cautious he was being, and finally she'd just smiled to him. "You can breathe, you know?" He looked at her, unsure what to say. "Look, Kurt, none of us expected this to happen, I'm sure you know that." He nodded. "But this is how it is, and I hope you don't feel unwelcome here. I've heard a lot about you, from Brittany herself, from Santana, and Quinn, all those who've been here. And all I hear over and over is how you've been supporting my daughter, looking out for her, taking your responsibilities, and… I guess what I'm trying to say is if it had to be anyone, then I'm glad it was you." He reached up to wipe at his eyes, knowing he'd gone and started crying. Looking at that woman there, she had never looked more like her daughter than in that instant.

He had gone upstairs to the nursery/bedroom when he was done, taking a moment to himself to process the new information. Just a moment later though, there was a knock at the door. "Can I come in?" Brittany asked. He quickly swiped at his eyes.

"Yes," he replied. When she came in, she saw right away.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he promised, smiling.

"I brought you this," she looked down and he saw she was carrying a clock radio with an iPod dock. "Thought you might want it."

"Thank you, I do, if that's alright." She placed it on his nightstand, looked back to him, still not convinced that he was okay. He let out a breath, looking over at the crib. "Do you ever wonder what he'll be like?"

"All the time," she smiled. "Think he'll be in Glee Club like us someday?"

"He'll be a legacy," he thought about it. "I mean, let's face it, his parents are stars," he looked back and Brittany laughed. "Him and his strange little family."

"Makes things interesting," she shrugged.

"That it does," he agreed. "It's going to be harder than it's already been…"

"We've made it this far," she didn't look scared in that moment, not as she'd been for a while. "And we'll be okay. We've got each other, and he's got us."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	13. Step TwentyEight, Face the Facts

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 7._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**13. Step Twenty-Eight, Face the Facts**

He had spent the better part of the day just doing nothing related directly or otherwise with the baby, as per his father's request, being told that in the last week or two he had been going at it like his son would be born at any minute instead of in over two months. It would happen sometimes, with both of them. They would remember how close they were getting, and then they'd get 'baby panic.' The day off did do some good, if he was being honest.

His father was out for the evening, so he'd just been sitting in his room, reading, when his phone had chirped. He had a message, and he looked to find it was from Santana.

It took him a moment to decipher it. He could see some of it was to be blamed on auto correct, but regardless the whole thing had been typed with no control on exactitude, from what he saw, and all he could think was she had to be drunk or something. Either way, what he did get out of the message made him dial up her number.

He didn't pick up on it right away, like maybe it was just in his head, imagining her phone ringing and hearing its ringtone in his head. Only after a moment he frowned… that wasn't in his head, that was outside. He got up off his bed and went to open his window, poking his head out so he could see down and… there she was, half-sitting half-lying down on his front step.

"Santana?" he called, and her head bobbed, searching. "Up… up here," he continued, and she craned her neck, eyes finding him. She gave this weird sort of chuckle and muttered something in a slurred Spanish he had no chance of understanding.

"Hummel…" she sighed, the first thing he understood from her.

"Just stay there a second," he told her before moving down to come meet her. It did occur to him he should get her inside instead of out there for the whole neighborhood to spy on. When he opened the door, he saw she might have had the same idea, as he found her trying to get up in the clumsiest of manners. She finally popped up straight, if wobbly at first.

"Too fast…" she mumbled, stumbling, and he moved to catch her. As soon as she'd found her feet again though, she pulled out of his grasp. "Let go of me. This is all your fault," she muttered, and the way her words bled into one another he was positive she was drunk now and very much so.

"Please just come inside, alright?" he held his hands just sort of nearby, in case she stumbled again. "I'll make some coffee," he offered.

"Well, it so happens I'm near your house right now," she nodded.

"Yes, yes, you are," he confirmed. So she went in and he followed. He lost her when she went into the living room and adopted the couch, and he went for the coffee. As he waited for it to be ready, he kept an eye on her. Her mind was just in a whole other place and he had no idea what she was thinking about but it or something else was apparently all his fault. By the time he brought her the steaming cup, she was lying out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "Here, just let it cool off for a bit," he put it on the table and her head tilted so her eyes could land on the general shape of him.

"Why'd you have to go and do that?" he managed to make out.

"Make you coffee?"

"Not about coffee!" her voice shot out so randomly he jumped. "Just had to go and mess everything up with your talking and your thinking and your talking… and your…" She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut; was she trying not to cry?

"I… I'm sorry, I don't understand," he shook his head.

"Brittany," she explained, and he knew she wasn't meaning the baby, not like that, but then… "We were doing fine, and then you had to go and say those things…" she shut her eyes, shutting out potential dizziness which could lead to worse. At least now he knew what she was getting at: his talk with her in the library, a couple months back…

"But they were true…"

"I know they're true," she cut him off, looking at him and getting the spins for her troubles. She groaned, looking back ahead. "And complicated, that, too," she added after a beat.

"I know," he told her, trying to sound comforting, but she only got angry again.

"No, you don't. I'm not you, can't solve my problems with the same solutions," she waved off.

"Well, what do you want me to tell you?" he asked with a sigh, reaching to hand her the cup. He watched her drink up a few sips

"Nothing, can't say anything," she muttered, and now the tears couldn't be held anymore. A few splashed into her coffee cup. "All in…" he thought he heard.

"What'd you say?" he asked carefully.

"Don't think that I make a habit of this," she shook her head. "I mean, sure, I like my share of booze, but I'm not…" She sighed. "You two have been going nuts, and I just sit there like… like..." She stared in her cup and he wondered if she was hypnotized by the little ripples coursing through the surface. "She's going to be a mom now…" Santana breathed, with a new weeping. "It's not just her, it's both of them. Have to be all in, all in," she nodded. "Can't go half-assed…" she sounded determined. "She's here…" Santana mimed, then held her other hand at a distance from the first, "and I'm here… And there's just all these things in the middle, like people… People I've been dishonest with, not telling… Oh, I'm a liar…" she cried now for drunkenness' sake.

"Santana, listen to me," he made her to look at him. "You'll figure it out, both of you, I'm sure of it. There's no way all this would happen just like that."

"Oh, haven't you heard, universe is kind of a bitch," she frowned.

"Not in this case," he maintained. Finally, he got up. "You can sleep here, my father's out…"

"Yeah, okay, good night," she laid back down, turned over, and she was off, no effort. He guessed she was tired, exhausted.

The next morning when he woke up she was gone already. But next time he saw her he'd see the change in her. Maybe she hadn't changed everything she wanted to yet, but somewhere in her haze she must have heard something that made her get back on her feet. He would have wanted nothing more than to shove them together somewhere so they could say what needed to be said, maybe now, maybe in weeks, months… It had to be them, just them.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	14. Step TwentyNine, Remember Who You Are

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Back In Action._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**14. Step Twenty-Nine, Remember Who You Are**

Brittany had been the one to invite her over, saying it had been too long since they'd had an evening of hanging out just the two of them the way they used to. Santana had said yes, no need to think about it too hard, though 'the way they used to' only brought back memories that got her caught thinking about other things… She was calling it a work in progress, just like her…

Waking up with a splitting headache of a hangover on Kurt's couch had been… maybe not so much a wakeup call, but close. It wasn't so much about finding out certain things, it was about accepting them, and she was doing that, even if it took a while. She knew, if she only settled one thing it would be that she loved Brittany, not just as a friend, a close friend, best friend… She loved her the way you loved someone you could see being part of your whole life, just… she loved her, and it wasn't a passing thing, it was who she was, where she was happiest.

On Friday afternoon she had arrived at the Pierce house to find it in a rush of activity oddly reminiscent of that scene in Home Alone where everyone was running around trying to get ready. Mr. & Mrs. Pierce and Melinda were running around, barely noticing her arrival. Santana had gone up to Brittany's room to find her sitting on the ground in front of her closet, digging through boxes.

"What's going on?" she asked the blonde, who looked up and smiled when she saw her.

"What?" She pointed back out the door. "Oh, they're going out of town."

"I didn't know…"

"They didn't know either. They're going to see my grandmother," she got back to digging through the boxes. Santana approached.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, and Brittany paused. "You don't remember anymore, do you?" she guessed, and the blonde sighed. "Need a hand up?" Brittany tried to go at it on her own; it didn't go too well, so Santana reached to help her. She gave one final tug that brought them standing face to face, so much Santana could feel the belly bumping into her. She could smell her, and by the scents wafting away from her, she had to think she'd just showered earlier that day. It took a moment before she could let her go.

Knowing what she knew now, it wasn't enough. As much as she wished it could be, it wasn't. She wished she could tell her everything, the way she used to be able to, about most things, but all she would do would be to put knowledge in Brittany's head which could make some things happen too fast or not right, or… She still had steps to take, by herself or with her, or…

"So… what do you want to do?" Santana asked her as they went downstairs to see her sister and parents off. Brittany thought for a moment.

"I can show you how to knit, too?" she suggested and Santana chuckled.

"I don't think it's really my thing," she simply stated and Brittany didn't question it. "How about we just see what's on TV?"

"Okay," Brittany had smiled. They had called in to order dinner and had spent the wait picking through DVDs to find some movies to watch, once they'd figured out there was nothing to hold their interest on television. Once the food had arrived, they had settled in front of the television. The way Brittany reclined, her belly, which was already getting bigger and bigger as she neared being seven months along, was commanding in its size. As ever, that little boy growing inside her was hard to ignore.

Whatever she still had to resolve, she knew it needed to be done, just… before. That was to say all the doubts, the worries, they had to be gone if she was going to… Kurt had already extended a place for her in their whole family dynamic, even if it was something she kept to herself, and up to then she was still holding to the side, with them but not with them… It was more complicated than how Kurt could see it, she knew. If and when she would become a part of them, then either way some things had to happen, all before she could 'transition,' as part of that family. She owed it to the boy, to Brittany… even to Kurt. Once she took the leap, she was going to be all in, no backing away.

"I miss Glee Club," Brittany stated all of a sudden, and Santana looked to her. "Don't you?"

"I… yes… I guess I do," she admitted.

"I just miss dancing," Brittany shrugged.

"Well, that I can arrange," Santana got up, putting her dinner aside and dusting her hands off. Brittany watched her go, mid-bite, confused.

"Where are you going?" In response, Santana reached to take the blonde's plate away, much to her disappointment, seeing the food go away. But then when she held her hands out to help her up, Brittany smiled, understanding now. "What about music?" Santana just brought her close, putting her arms at her back, and Brittany's arms came around her neck on reflex.

"Don't need it," she got her swaying, and they were dancing, slowly, softly. "There, see?"

"That's good," Brittany agreed, smiling. "What if we want to do something more… fast, or…"

"Nothing too strenuous there, prego," Santana teased, smirking at the look on Brittany's face. Still they just kept as they were, with Santana throwing in a cautious spin here and there to humor her. When Brittany had laid her head on her shoulder, Santana's breath caught in her throat, but then they carried on, swaying, and turning… She could feel the flutter of the baby moving against her own stomach, and her eyes were stinging.

"Think he likes it…" she heard Brittany's voice near her ear.

"Well if any kid would appreciate dance from the womb it'd be yours," Santana pointed out, and she had no idea why her eyes had brimmed with tears just now.

"Think he likes you…" Brittany amended, "I know he does." Santana was just trying to stop herself crying while Brittany couldn't see her face, or… "What's wrong?"

"What?" Santana hesitated, off guard.

"Why are you crying?" Brittany asked, as they continued dancing.

"I'm not…"

"Yeah you are," Brittany insisted, pulling back, and then her fingers were delicately brushing tears away and Santana closed her eyes in defeat. "Talk to me," she begged.

"I'm trying," her voice wavered now. "I've been trying, you have no idea."

"I'm right here, okay?" Brittany promised, leaning and placing a kiss at the side of her head, just by her eye, and Santana inhaled, still holding to her. Some day she would find her way, she believed that now, believed it because of her. Love could be patient, or it wouldn't be love, she believed that, too.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	15. Step Thirty, Trust Your Heart

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Long Time Coming._

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**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**15. Step Thirty, Trust Your Heart**

August had gone and snuck up on them, and with it came the knowledge that before long Kurt would be going back to school, Santana as well, and Brittany… Well, she'd be in private lessons with her tutor, the days ticking down until the baby was born. The days were just coming so fast now, and so they could only do their best to enjoy the time they had left like this.

On this afternoon, all three of them were on a mission, as Kurt had wanted to baby proof his house, which had led to them deciding they'd do Brittany's house as well. They weren't going to do anything too drastic, they had two months still before he came along and even then… Either way, he wanted to get on it, and they were more than ready to help.

It hadn't been long before they had decided that if they expected to get anything done then they couldn't all be working on the same task at once. Santana would work on one thing, while Kurt worked on another, and Brittany… well, she hovered, from assisting one to assisting the other. Now she sat on a chair near Kurt, holding his famous checklist, which he had been showing her and Santana over and over. She peered over the clipboard, and for a while she looked at him, not at what he was doing.

"Kurt?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, still focused on what he was doing.

"Are you okay? You look distracted." He looked to her.

"I do?" he asked, and she nodded in honesty. He frowned to himself. "I found out something last weekend," he started.

"What's that?" she asked. He sat there for a moment, silent.

"I'm going to be terrible at this…" his voice was flat, discouraged.

"Baby proofing?" she asked, not getting it at first.

"Baby… raising," he corrected, "Being a father."

"That's not true," she shook her head.

"No, it is," he insisted.

"You're going to be a great dad," she tried to make him smile again but he was having trouble imitating her. "What made you think that now?" He sighed.

"My aunt and uncle were going out for the day so I offered to babysit my cousins, I figured it would be good practice for us…"

"Didn't go well?" she cringed in anticipation.

"It was a disaster," he said it simply.

"What happened?"

"The two older ones, they're brats, but once you put on the television they kind of take care of themselves. But then there was the youngest one, she's five months old," he went on. "I thought this would be perfect for me to see how it went…" He frowned. "It was a disaster," he insisted.

"I'm sorry," she spoke sympathetically. "But so what?" she said after a moment and he looked to her.

"So what? Didn't you hear what I said?"

"No, I heard you. I just don't see that it's going to mean anything for us," she went on and he just kept staring, not seeing what she meant. "It's going to be this baby, yours and mine, our son, your son, not some brat cousin of yours," she explained. He blinked, considering what she'd said. "He's going to love you," she smiled. "He's going to think you're the coolest guy on the planet," she added, wrenching a smile from him. "I think it too, by the way," she revealed. "And you love him too, a whole lot, so that should count for something, right?"

"It does," he had to agree, smiling.

"Forget the cousins. You're going to be a great dad." He let out a breath, looking to her and moving to hug her.

"Thanks, Britt, thank you…" he squeezed his eyes tight.

"Kurt?" she asked as he let go.

"Yeah?" She turned the clipboard around for him to see, and she didn't have to say it. "I guess it can wait," he conceded and she smiled. "You want to go somewhere?" he asked, and she nodded. They went and got Santana – who was more than happy to ditch the task – and they headed out, no real plan in mind but to recuperate what they could of the day. When he'd gotten home later that day, alone, he had ended up going back to his checklist and the baby proofing on his own.

He guessed he should have expected this, getting spooked by his impending parenthood. Of course, there had been some difficulties along the way, but all things considered they were doing pretty well with this whole situation, so now to have this panic come on him…

Brittany was right, his cousins were brats and he shouldn't have compared what it was like to be with them with what it would be to have his son in his arms. On most days he ignored their existence because he couldn't stand them. That wasn't him having issues with kids, it was him having issues with those kids in particular, and it was earned. But then he had to try, and it was all right there for him. Maybe he had wanted to challenge himself, like if he managed to get through the day with those then he was okay. Hearing that little thing cry and cry and fighting back against him holding her and just being powerless to make her happy again, he'd panicked, let himself believe that this was it, that he repelled children and it would be the same with his own child.

Now that he was out of that place, and now that Brittany had realigned his thoughts, he had confidence again. He thought of the last few months, how he had gone from being terrified at the prospect of becoming a father, to feeling a connection with this child that had yet to see the light of day. He thought about the first time he'd heard his heart beat, first time he'd felt him kick, and when they had learned he was a boy… He thought of time and time again sitting there, with Brittany, talking in the general direction of her belly, of holding his hand to it to feel him moving… He thought of months of preparation and anticipation, and all of it shaped up to how much he loved him already.

He thought of holding him for the first time, of sleep he would willingly give up to stay with him… He'd let himself get spooked once, and maybe it was necessary. Now he had gotten through it. In a couple of months, the wait would be over, it wouldn't be a question anymore.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	16. Step ThirtyOne, Have Some Fun

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 8._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**16. Step Thirty-One, Have Some Fun**

None of them would say whose idea in specific it had been. Kurt would suspect it was one of the girls, but neither Brittany nor Santana claimed to have any idea. He'd been in another one of his 'hyper focused' periods, he knew, which could always explain why he opened the door one day to find the four of them standing there – Finn, Puck, Artie, and Mike. "What are you d…" he started to ask, but they were already coming in.

"Rescuing you," Artie declared.

"Rescuing me from what?"

"Insanity?" Puck guessed. "You need to breathe, alright?" Kurt gave him a look as though to say 'I am.'

"You can't keep stressing yourself out that way," Mike told him.

"Now's really not the time you want to lose sleep. Pretty soon you'll actually have a reason to lose it," Puck pointed out.

"I'm sleeping just fine, thanks."

"We just figured you might need like… a night with the guys," Finn shrugged. Kurt didn't look too sure, though at the same time he was touched by the gesture. If he had to bet on it, he was thinking maybe it was his idea. With the way his father and Finn's mother had been growing closer these last few months, maybe he was starting look at things like he was about to be an uncle…

"So… what do we do now?" Kurt asked, not too familiar with 'a night with the guys.'

They had ended up at the mall, and soon Kurt had found they weren't sure what to do either. He could already envision them having had some sort of talk before they'd shown up at his place, about what they would and wouldn't do on that night. They were determined that he should focus on himself for once, and picking the wrong thing might mean missing the mark.

"How about lunch?" he had ended up suggesting it himself, and they had soon found themselves sitting around a table at Breadstix.

Looking at them all sitting there, he had to think about how much things could change in just a year. This time last summer he could count close and semi-close friends on a single hand with fingers leftover. Now there were eleven… ten of them, now that Matt had moved away. Still, he couldn't imagine having all of this happening without them around him. Sure, if not for Glee Club then he never would have gotten Brittany pregnant to begin with, but that wasn't the point.

In just that one short year, so much had changed. He couldn't say they were all best friends all of them, but regardless where they had started, they had each other's backs now, and he knew if he and Brittany needed them, they would be there.

"Let's go to the movies after?" he spoke all of a sudden. "My treat," he nodded.

"All of us?" Artie asked, surprised.

"Tickets. You're on your own for concessions," Kurt added.

"Works for me," Mike agreed, and the others were in. It was a small thanks, but it was a start.

Lunch became focused on their summers, on the upcoming fall. As much as they tried to, they didn't see nearly as much of each other during the summer as they did when they had school and Glee Club. They talked about what they had been up to, summer jobs, summer hook ups… Kurt didn't really have to say what he had been up to, it went without saying.

Then there was the fall… The rest of them, they were talking about this and that, and he sat there thinking about what they didn't want him to think about; he couldn't help it, that was where his mind went. When the year started, he would be going back, while Brittany stayed home, getting closer to the birth. He was already concerned about how they would all balance things after the baby was born. Neither of them was about to give up on school, though they knew it would be made that much harder when they threw in caring for a newborn. At the very least they could rely on the fact that they weren't going at it alone. They had each other, they had their families, and they had New Directions…

"Hey, stop it, you're thinking about it again," Puck nudged his arm and he saw they were getting up; he hadn't even realized they had finished their meal, they had him caught.

"Sorry, can't help it," he got up and followed, the five of them moving on toward the theater. Choosing the movie was proving to be a more complicated task than they thought.

"Hey, let's do the one with Angelina Jolie," Puck pointed at the poster.

"What's it about?" Kurt asked.

"I don't know," Puck shrugged. He looked back to Kurt, remembering now that they were there for him that day, turned back to the posters, considering them. "Hey, Kurt, you like that… uh… that one with Zac Efron?" he pointed.

"I can't, I promised Brittany I'd see it with her."

"Perfect," Puck was a bit quick to answer, but all it did was get a laugh out of Kurt and the others.

"Inception?" Mike suggested, pointing out the poster. Artie gave a silent backing of that idea.

"Sounds good," Finn shrugged.

"Yeah, alright, I'm cool with that, if you are," Puck looked to Kurt.

"Sure, why not," Kurt breathed out. "That should keep me good and distracted for a couple hours." They went up to the counter and he bought the five tickets.

They left the theater, nearly three hours later. None of them had said a word, but then something happened. Kurt looked to the right, saw Finn, his face so confused that the word lost all meaning, and then he was laughing, low at first like he was trying to keep it in, but then he was losing control of it. The other four looked to him, and that only made it worse. His face was turning the color of a tomato, short for breath from the laughter.

"I think the stress finally got to him," Artie muttered to the others.

"Better get him some water before he passes out," Mike suggested, smirking.

Once Kurt had been able to stop laughing, they had carried their 'guys' day' elsewhere. Puck had had the idea. After sweet talking one of his clients, she had allowed them to use her pool. It had required a couple of stops – not everyone could make due with what they were wearing – but then there they were. A few cannon balls later, they started tossing a ball from one side to the other, which turned into Finn and Kurt versus Puck and Mike, with Artie refereeing. Puke and Mike had won, hands down, which Kurt took on himself, though he had pretty much expected it that way. The woman who owned the house had gone so far as to order them pizza, and Puck had promised that her next cleaning would be half off. She'd turned on her heel with a slow smirk and gone on her way.

By the time Kurt got home, he was spent. If there were any worries about his sleeping, it wouldn't be the case that day. The whole outing with the rest of the guys had really done him some good. He felt a relief he'd needed for a while now, which wasn't to say everything he did with Brittany as the months went by were a weight he needed to get rid of, but he had definitely been stressed. That wasn't going away completely, but it felt good to just be out there like that while he could. The next day he would go and visit Brittany, see how she and the baby were doing, and he would be back where he was supposed to be.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	17. Step ThirtyTwo, Breathe In, Breathe Out

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Pieces of Family._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**17. Step Thirty-Two, Breathe In, Breathe Out**

They were going to go, all three of them, to the class. Her parents had offered to go with her, so had Burt, and a handful of the others from New Directions, but she wanted it to be just them, her, and Kurt, and Santana. They would have been hard to turn away even if she hadn't intended to bring them.

She could never really understand what it was that was happening between them. It was like they knew more than they were letting on, sharing secret conversations that she wasn't a part of. It didn't use to bother her, but as time went on she did wonder what it was they talked about. Did they talk about her? Lately, more and more, it could feel like they were the ones in charge, and she was just in the middle, growing a child.

Today they were just going over what they already knew, about the breathing, all of that, as they drove to the class. She sat there, tracing the pattern in her shirt as it stretched over her belly. She chose to believe that the kick she felt then was the baby trying to make her smile… It did.

When they got to the class, she went on and sat on the ground, stretching to snag a pillow resting on the ground, while they were still going on by the door. She looked to the side, waving to a couple of the other moms who were there. The first time they had come here, a couple had given the three of them looks, the one she knew now to had to do with their ages, but it had gone away eventually.

The class was going to start and they were just coming to join her now, sitting on either side of her. They were still talking, low, every now and then, and as much as she would have been able to tune it out before, on that day it just buzzed in her ears, wearing at her once unbreakable patience.

She worked to get herself up on her feet, and now they reached to help her, asking where she was going. "I can do it," she told them, and once she was up, she moved out of the room, unsure where she was going in particular, just going where her feet carried her. Maybe it was how much she had to pee these days, but she ended up in the bathroom, locking herself in one of the stalls and sitting down. She let out a breath, then another… She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she wasn't feeling what she thought she was… She sniffled, and then she was done for. Her sobs were quiet, halted, and she tried to swallow them back, reaching for toilet paper to blow her nose.

"Britt? Are you in here?" She looked up at the sound of Santana's voice. She wasn't sure if Kurt…

"Why'd you run off like that?" she heard his voice now.

"Like you care," she sniffled, too closed up to wonder if that was taking it too far.

"Of course we do, come on…" she could see Santana's shoes peeking under the door.

"No," she stood… sat her ground. "Why don't you go back there, it's not like you need me." There was a pause, only kept from being a silent one by her continued sniffling.

"Okay, maybe we haven't been… We've been distracted, I'll admit," Kurt's shoes appeared, too, and she guessed he was in the next stall over. "But we never meant for you to get hurt by it."

"I did," she told them. A few seconds later, for some reason, Kurt was laying down toilet paper on the ground… then he was kneeling on it… When she saw his face from under the stall wall, she startled.

"I'm sorry, really," she looked to his face, and she knew he was being honest… that didn't necessarily mean much.

"Are you going to stop?"

"Yes, absolutely," he nodded, almost smacking his head on the ground. Now another patch of paper was going on the ground, and there was Santana's face. When she saw the tears on the blonde's face it was hard to imagine she'd been arguing with Kurt a moment ago; all she cared about now was her.

"I'm going to come in, okay?" she asked, and Brittany nodded. She watched her somehow squeeze her way under the door, and Brittany reached out to give her hands in help for Santana to stand up once she was through. She crouched so to be at eye level with the sitting girl. "Look, we suck," she stated flat out, and it wrenched a chuckle out of the blonde.

"No, you don't," she shook her head. Santana reached behind herself, turning the lock on the door so it could swing open and Kurt could stand with them instead of crouching down there.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" he asked, coming up at the door.

"I don't know," she shrugged. Santana took away the crumpled up toilet paper from her hands, ripping off more sheets from the roll to hand to her. "If I stay here too long I'm really going to have to go," she admitted.

"Okay, come on," Santana offered her hands and this time Brittany let her help her up. They left the bathroom, stopping in the hallway.

"Why do you always talk on your own like that?" Brittany had to ask. "Is there something I'm not supposed to know?"

"No, sweetie, it's nothing like that, I swear," Santana shook her head.

"Then what is it then?" It was hard to tell who Santana was signalling more with her looks. To Kurt it brought back memories of housing a confused and frustrated – not to mention drunk – Santana on his couch one night, and to Brittany it brought memories of dancing without music, and yet more things that couldn't be said. Either way, it quieted things down again. "I don't like that class," Brittany broke the silence with her statement. "We're not being graded, are we?"

"I think when you get that baby out, you pass," Kurt went for a cheerful response and got one. Both he and Santana had been made to realize they'd been leaving Brittany to the side recently, and now they weren't about to let it keep happening.

"Do we have to go back?" she asked.

"Yeah, but why don't we go and eat something after?" Santana suggested, linking her arm with hers.

"Ice cream?" Brittany asked.

"Sounds good," Kurt agreed. Once the class was over, they'd made as quick an exit as they could manage and headed off for the ice cream as requested. Judging by the size of the cup she got, she guessed they still felt bad about earlier. They had been completely focused on her now, and she appreciated it tremendously, though now she just wished they didn't have to feel bad anymore. She guessed she couldn't blame them too much about everything, they just cared about her and the baby a lot, sometimes too much, if that was possible. But their hearts were in the right place, so she couldn't be upset for too long… The ice cream didn't hurt either.

It was Santana who drove her home, and when they pulled up to the door, she looked over to her. "Just so we're clear, I didn't say those things so you'll stop talking to Kurt, you know?"

"I know," Santana promised, smiling.

"Okay," Brittany smiled back. After a beat, she'd unbuckled her belt and leaned over to press a kiss, not on cheeks but on surprised lips. Pulling back, her eyes were caught in hers, without a word. She gave one more smile and got out of the car, breathing deep. Maybe she'd made things easier, maybe she'd made them more complicated. She didn't understand them that way, all she knew was that she'd wanted to do it, so she had… They'd see what happened.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	18. Step ThirtyThree, There's Always Options

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 9._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**18. Step Thirty-Three, There's Always Options**

With school starting up within a few weeks, her father just had to go and ask that she organize the basement again. He'd been asking all summer, and she'd just put it off... too many things on her mind. Now though, with time running out, he was sounding more needy for it, so she had caved and agreed. At least this time should be helpful, left alone to her thoughts... Like that would help.

It was going to take more than a day, she could feel it just from looking around. She had been down here so many times, and the clutter of things was just the reality of how things were. It wasn't until she had to envision actually cleaning it that it appeared like the monster from hell. She had to just go ahead and start, as much as she dreaded it.

She was into her second hour, now sorting through old magazines, when the basement door opened from above. "Why are we even keeping these, all they do is gather dust..."

"Hi..." She stopped, turning to look and finding Brittany standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey," she scrambled to get up, dusting herself off. It had been a week since the kiss after Lamaze class. It wasn't like they had never kissed before… they had done much more than kissing before. But in past months this was the first, and it meant something more, they knew it did. They just hadn't spoken of it. Brittany wouldn't; she'd put the ball in Santana's court, left it up to her to pick it up and do… something.

"Your dad said you'd be down here when I called, so… need help?" she offered. Santana looked to the magazines, then back to the blonde.

"Sure, just be careful, okay?" she nodded down with a smirk and Brittany laughed.

"Yeah," she agreed, taking Santana's hands to help lower her and sit on the ground in front of the stacks of magazines. They started sorting through it all, with Santana sometimes having to get Brittany back on track, sorting rather than reading the magazines. It took an hour more, but then that task was done. "What's next?" Santana ran through her checklist, deciding.

"The decorations." She helped Brittany up and they moved to sort through that. At one time, turning around, Santana had found her standing there, trying to untangle old Christmas lights, which she'd already gotten tangled over herself in the process, and Santana laughed.

"What?" Brittany looked up.

"You tell me," Santana snatched up the end of the cord, just near enough to the outlet so she could plug it. Brittany became a sea of multicolored lights, and she squealed in surprise.

"I'm like a pregnant Christmas tree…" she looked to herself, then looked up at the shutter sound to find Santana had taken a picture with her phone, which she turned to show.

"You can show the kid after he's born." Brittany grinned. "I'll send it to Kurt," it didn't even need to be asked. Santana helped her get detangled, and they got the lights sorted. "Weren't you meeting your tutor today?" she asked then, remembering. Brittany frowned, and now Santana knew why she had called in the first place. "Didn't like him?"

"He was okay, I guess," she shrugged. "I just… I don't know." Santana looked to her, and anyone could have seen what the problem was if they knew her even a little.

"You can always get a new one, it's not too late. Your dad must have found more than one."

"Yeah, I guess," Brittany sighed. Santana stepped up to her.

"You'll be back with us in no time, and you'll wish you weren't. Who misses McKinley?"

"I do, and you would, too," Brittany stated.

"Fine, maybe…" Santana conceded. "There's nothing that says you can't just come and be in classes with us," she started, and before Brittany would cling on to that, she continued. "But I think the set-up right now is what's best for both you and the baby, and I think you know it."

"I do," she admitted.

"Look on the bright side, you get one on one time with your tutor, that might be helpful. And you won't have to eat the stuff in the cafeteria, or have to listen to people you don't want to listen to, or…"

"But I like all that." By the look on her face, she guessed she'd said all the wrong things. "And what about Glee Club? We got a second chance, and I won't be there to help."

"Only through Sectionals, we'll do fine," Santana insisted. "We'll hold down the fort, I promise."

"Couldn't I just come back for that? He'll have been born by then…"

"We'll take care of it. You just look after this guy for a while," she smiled, tapping two fingers to Brittany's belly.

"Okay, I can do that," she had to smile. "I'm still not sure about the tutor though."

"So tell your father, he'll find someone else. Or ask Miss Pillsbury." The idea sparked possibility in Brittany's eyes. "She's a guidance counselor, I'm sure she's got contacts for that."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Good," Santana smiled. "We better keep going," she looked back around the room. Brittany turned, trying to see where they would go next, and there she saw something, sitting in the corner, and she smiled.

"Oh!" she moved toward the crib, excited. "Was this yours?" she looked back to Santana, finding she hadn't moved until now when prompted.

"Yeah, mine and my sister's. My mother didn't want to throw it out."

"You slept in here…" Brittany nodded to herself. "Baby-sized Santana…" she tried to imagine. She had seen some pictures before, though it was still odd to think of her that way, at the same time sweet, and she smiled. Now it made her wonder about her own child, just weeks from being born, and what he might look like when he was their age… like her, like Kurt… "Is it still safe?"

"Probably, I'm not sure," Santana came up, giving a rattle at the bars. "Definitely would need a cleaning."

"When we're here, me and him, we can put him in here," this seemed to please her greatly and she looked to Santana for agreement.

"Only if it's safe," she responded.

"Yes," Brittany bowed her head.

But she couldn't give her more, not that day, not yet, and she knew it, and it was okay. Brittany moved away from the crib, finding a box overflowing with clothes and she directed Santana toward it.

"Too bad these don't fit me now," Brittany commented.

"Might not be a bad thing…" Santana frowned at a shirt she pulled from the heap, and Brittany laughed. They kept on working for a while more, taking breaks once in a while. They weren't going to finish it all that day, but Brittany insisted she would return the next day and help her again. They weren't going to talk about what they couldn't talk about, but it wouldn't be anything that held them back. They had plenty yet to talk about.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	19. Step ThirtyFour, Just Celebrate

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Square One._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**19. Step Thirty-Four, Just Celebrate**

Santana wouldn't tell her where they were going, or what for, but she had made her change her outfit three times, and then when she had gotten in the car, she had been blindfolded… more mystery for her to wait out. She just had to hope they would get there soon, before she had to beg for a blind bathroom pit stop… It just didn't sound like it would work out well.

But then the car had stopped, and her hand went to the door handle. "Would you just wait?" she felt Santana's hand stop her.

"Sorry," she still smiled. She felt the motion of Santana getting out of the car, the door shutting, and then a few seconds later, her door was opened, belt unbuckled, and her hands were taken.

"Easy, watch your step…" she begged, and Brittany felt one of her hands released only to have Santana's at the back of her head, to guide and make sure that she didn't hit her head on the way out of the car. Her feet touched the ground and then she was being led up somewhere. She couldn't see where she was or where she was headed, but after a moment something about her journey felt familiar.

"Hey, this is your house," she realized out loud.

"No peeking!" Santana instructed.

"I'm not!" she promised, then, "So I'm right?"

"Maybe," she could even hear the smile in Santana's voice. They stopped at the door, she guessed, because then she knocked.

"Wait, who's there?"

"Just wait a little more," Santana insisted, as the door opened and they moved over the threshold. She was made to stop in her tracks, and then the blindfold was pulled back to reveal four girls standing there and she smiled, startled.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking back to Santana and then to Rachel, Quinn, Tina, and Mercedes.

"That's for us to know and you to find out, in the basement," Rachel told her with a hint of mischief.

"Had to take the blindfold off before taking you down there," Santana explained as they made their way for the stairs. Brittany wanted to ask more questions, but she could guess she wasn't going to be told a thing, so she followed.

"Where is everyone?" she asked Santana, meaning the rest of the Lopez family.

"They're out," Santana told her, nodding for Brittany to look back ahead, and when she did she almost did trip, grabbing on to the railing. After the clean-up they had performed on the space, today it had been converted to house a baby shower. As speechless as she was, they could see how happy and touched she was just by looking at her face. She looked back to Santana, and to her the expression also held a thank you. Brittany had told her how she hadn't approached the subject of this kind of party with her parents, and they hadn't spoken of it either, but it was pretty clear to her it wouldn't happen. She wasn't upset with them for it, she knew this couldn't have been easy for them, especially the closer they got to her due date. But for her part she just wanted to have this, because it felt like she should.

She did notice the decorations, the effort that had been put into this, and there were not enough words to say how thankful she was, only then… Looking to Quinn, a thought occurred to her and then she felt… awkward, and wrong, like she shouldn't be smiling. The other blonde had caught her looking, so as the rest of them were arguing over activities and what they should do first, she had given a quick wave, beckoning her to follow toward a corner where they could talk. Quinn followed her

"What's wrong?" she asked, and Brittany searched for her words.

"Is it… weird, being here?" she made her approach with caution, making it clear she didn't want to offend. "You had a baby, too, just… not like this, and now we're here and…"

"No, Brittany, hey, it's okay," Quinn shook her head, putting a hand to the other girl's shoulder. "I wanted to come," she promised. "We're all here for you because we want to be, and me most of all, I mean… you and me and Santana, we had each other's backs even before Glee Club, right?"

"Right," Brittany agreed, smiling.

"So of course I would be here," Quinn insisted, and a moment later she was being hugged. She was caught by surprise but she just smirked, hugging back. When she pulled away, Quinn looked to her face and gave careful wipes to the happy tears. "There, that's better," she breathed, paused. The two of them had this connection, one none of the others in Glee Club had, and they knew it… they were both pregnant at the same time. "I do think about her," she confided, and Brittany gave a sad smile. Quinn stayed with the thought for a moment, but then took a breath, willing herself to smile again, and she looked up to her friend before looking down to the belly so prominent between them, putting her hands to it. "This guy is going to be one lucky kid," she turned her smile up to her friend, who just matched it with a nod.

"And he's going to love his aunt Quinn," Brittany promised right back, making her laugh.

"Good," she had some tears of her own to wipe away now.

"Come on," Brittany indicated the other girls, as though to say 'let's go back to the party.' Their absence had not even been noticed, the other girls still in the process of deciding what to do. Rachel wanted to go for the more classic baby shower fare, while Santana resisted her every step of the way. Tina and Mercedes tried to intervene, with little result.

"Hey! Guys!" Quinn had to raise her voice to make them hear her. When they looked over, she nodded to them, raised her chin. "How about asking her what she wants to do?" she pointed to Brittany. This made the future mother beam, like a giddy kid in front of a pile of presents, trying to decide which one to open first.

"I want all of it," she shrugged, decisive.

"You heard her," Quinn smirked, looking to the others. Rachel and Santana looked to one another, and there was a flurry of words all at once which they came to understanding was the two of them working out a sequence to each of their proposed activities.

The shower stretched through the afternoon and into early evening, by which time Santana's family had returned. They had even been joined by her little sister. There were games, there was music, and there were presents, and everyone at one time or another took their turn at feeling the baby kick. The popular question was whether she and Kurt had picked a name yet, to which Brittany informed them they hadn't. Eventually they would all start heading home, leaving Brittany, Santana, and Quinn as the last ones there. Brittany had fallen asleep, curled up on one of the couches there, holding the plush whale she had gotten from Tina. For their part, Santana and Quinn took to cleaning up the mess left behind. They recounted this thing and that, though eventually they just worked on in silence.

"How are you doing?" Quinn asked after a while. Santana looked to her.

"Well when I find out who made this stain, I'm going to send them the dry cleaning bill…"

"That's not what I meant," Quinn replied. Santana's eyes flicked to Brittany, still sleeping.

"I'm working on it."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	20. Step ThirtyFive, Anticipate the Future

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: You'll Find Wonder, chapter 10._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**20. Step Thirty-Five, Anticipate the Future**

She'd been really tired that morning, after a bad night's sleep, so after lunch she had gone to lie down for a nap. It had not taken more than a minute or two for sleep to get her, and she had the good dreams again, the ones that made her feel safe and at peace. She could probably have slept the day away, past dinner and into the night, but then her dreams were intruded, a bell woke her, and after a moment she realized it was the doorbell. Her parents were at work, and her sister was at a friend's house, so after moment of hugging on to her pillow, she made herself get up and head down the stairs. She tried to go as fast as she could, not wanting to miss whoever it was.

"Coming, hold on!" she called out as she neared. She was still weary of going too fast, even two months after her fall. "Wait, wait, wait…" she mumbled before finally pulling the door open. She was startled. "Mr. Schue?" she felt herself wake up from the post-nap state all at once, smiling at her teacher standing there. "What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back to let him in.

"Well, the school year is starting in less than two weeks, and I know you won't be there, but I wanted to just check in," he explained, and his gaze couldn't help but fall to her belly. "Wow, look at you," he chuckled, and she smirked.

"Big difference from the last time you saw me," she guessed.

"Were you sleeping?" he asked, pointing to her hair, and she brushed it back.

"Didn't sleep well last night, so…" she shrugged.

"Let's sit then," he gave a nod, understanding. When they did, she looked to him, perplexed.

"I've never been so happy to see a teacher outside of school. Usually I turn and run away so they won't ask me questions," she admitted and he laughed.

"I'm not going to do that," he promised. "Not that kind of question."

"Good," she nodded. "Is Glee Club going to be okay?" she had to ask then, a concern she'd held for some time now. "Matt's gone, and now I won't be there either…"

"Only until January," he agreed, but still she looked to him for an answer. "We'll do fine," he promised, then realizing what it might have sounded like, "We're going to miss you, but that's okay. You'll be here, taking care of this baby, and before you know it you'll be back with us. You'll always have a place in New Directions," he nodded and she smiled.

"I'll come and watch you win at Sectionals," she promised.

"That confident, uh?" he asked, smirking, and she just went on smiling. "I also heard from Miss Pillsbury that you were looking for a new tutor?"

"Yeah… I didn't like the one my dad found, I don't know," she shrugged. "Santana thinks it's because I just want to be at McKinley with everyone else, and it's that, too, but…"

"How about I make you a deal?" She looked to him, curious. "I'll be your tutor." Her eyes grew in surprise and some excitement – that would definitely be something she'd want.

"But… how… Don't you already have a job?"

"Yes, I do," he smiled. "But I'm sure we can work out some kind of schedule. If you're really determined to see this through…"

"I am," she gave a strong nod.

"… then I don't see why we can't make this work," he finished, and she just went on nodding.

"Yes, please, let's do that."

"Okay, well I would need to talk to your parents about it." She looked around, searching for a clock.

"I think they should be home soon, like an hour, if you want to wait."

"I guess I can do that," he agreed. For a moment they were silent, unsure what to make of this hour. Finally she turned to him with an idea.

"You want to see the baby's room? Well, it's Kurt's room, too, for when he'll be here. I've got a room at his house, too, that way we can both be home with our families but the other doesn't have to be away from the baby," she explained.

"Lead the way," he stood, offering his hand to help her up. He followed her up the stairs and into the room with the stripes and the Winnie the Pooh border. Since they had first set it up there had been a number of additions, some clothes, toys, not too much, but still.

"This is where he's going to sleep," she announced happily, putting a hand to the top of the crib. Will looked to her with a smile.

"So it's a boy," he stated, and she lit up like a proud mama already. After a moment a thought occurred to her, and she looked to him again.

"I really want to do well," she pleaded. "I want him to be proud of me, not think I'm… stupid," she admitted. "I want him to think anything's possible," she nodded.

"You can do it," Will just had to smile at her. "We'll work on that, you and me, and by the time you come back to school in January you'll be ready to blow everyone away, your son included."

After they had left the room, they had gone back downstairs, where Brittany told Will about her summer so far, preparations with Kurt and with Santana, and the parts of her summer that didn't involve the pregnancy, as few as they were. Eventually, Mr. Pierce had arrived, soon followed by Mrs. Pierce, and after a quick conversation, Will was officially signed on to be Brittany's tutor in the fall. She walked him to the door, and as he turned to say goodbye, she moved up for a quick hug.

"Thank you, again," she nodded. "You're the best, no matter what Santana says about you."

"I… You're welcome," he blinked, turning a smile back to her. "I'll let you know when I've got more information for you, alright?"

"Yeah," she kept on nodding. After he'd left, she thought for sure she would go back upstairs to sleep some more, but with everything that had happened, and maybe because of the sleep she had managed to get before, she wasn't tired anymore, she was wide awake. She called Santana, called Kurt, told them both about her arrangement with Mr. Schuester, and to both she also made a proclamation. Like Will had told her, she told them, too: she would take this time that she would spend away from school and she would work hard so when she returned she would be… well, even more amazing than she already was.

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	21. Step ThirtySix, Leap Forward

_**This is a shift day [see above].** There was another upload this morning: Tumble & Hold._

* * *

**"Steps 16-36, Time Is On Your Side"**

**21. Step Thirty-Six, Leap Forward**

Come morning, two of them would be re-entering the halls of McKinley High, while the third would be home. Brittany's lessons with Mr. Schuester wouldn't start until Wednesday, to give him at least the first couple of days to start the school year at his primary job. Her parents would be at work, her sister would be at school, just as all her friends would be, leaving her on her own at home all day. She was really not looking forward to it, and in looking for some way to soften the blow of that, she had called them both to ask if they would come over for the evening, maybe a movie night would be good.

So they had arrived, each with a few movies, snacks, and what she would soon find to be pyjamas – they would stay with her overnight. It was more than she could have anticipated, and it was just perfect.

"You'll keep it presentable, yes?" Kurt teased Santana as the three went up the stairs.

"Like I'd wear that stuff for you," she turned a frown on him.

"Quit… bickering, I want to watch movies," Brittany reached blindly behind herself and tugged Santana forward. They had gone and left their things upstairs, grabbing the snacks, the movies, and the laptop before heading back down and out into the backyard. The day was too good to stay stuck indoors, So they had set up out there on the lawn.

The way they had it, each one of them would get to choose one movie for them to watch, after which they would either start again or just let Brittany pick from their offerings. They had dinner, still in their garden theater, just carrying on their way through the pile of DVDs. When the battery had needed charging though, both Santana and Kurt had gotten up to go in search of an extension cord to plug it in, leaving Brittany there to consider the next choice. When they returned, they found happy movie watching Brittany had been replaced by whimpering sad Brittany… again. It had been happening a lot more, the closer they got to the start of the school year.

"Oh, no no, come on," Kurt shook his head as he and Santana went and sat on either side of her, sandwiching her in.

"We'll only be gone a little while," Santana insisted. "And you can text me all day, really, if they try and stop me then they've got another thing coming."

"And I'll bring you the pineapple ice cream you love," Kurt promised. Both of them had managed to get a laugh out of her. She took a few deep breaths, hoping to beat out the funk that had gotten a hold of her when she'd flipped through the DVDs and found a lot of them took place in a school.

"You'll tell me what's going on, right?" she begged of them.

"We'll keep you posted," Santana nodded. "We'll send pictures and everything."

"And you keep us posted, too," he indicated her belly, and by reflex she reached to it.

"I'll send pictures, too," she promised. Looking at her there, coupled with the knowledge that September was upon them, it was hard not to think about what was coming.

"Just over a month now," Kurt stated, and the girls looked to him. "Nothing will be the same again… Not that it has been, the last few months."

"Well, good," Santana declared. "Change is good." It wasn't changing the fact that all their lives were going to be altered by this.

"You're going to be there, right?" Brittany had turned to her all of a sudden, and Santana only had to look at the pleading look on her face to know what she meant – the delivery, the birth. She grasped the blonde's hand, looked her in the eye.

"I'll be there, you have my word." She knew what she was promising, even if she hadn't said the words, even if Brittany might not realize just what it was she had made her promise, but it didn't matter. The way she saw it, an ultimatum might be what she needed to get herself in order.

"It's like summer just started," Brittany bowed her head again. "It's like it's still the day when we found out," her hand found Kurt's.

"I know," he breathed, for his part feeling like that was ages ago… so much had happened since then.

"You want to watch another movie?" Santana asked her, arms snaked around hers, chin to her shoulder.

"Something funny," Brittany beamed, leaning her head to hers.

"Not many of those left," Kurt observed their pile. Brittany pointed to one of them. "That's a horror movie," he frowned.

"I think it's funny," she wasn't thrown.

"Put the slasher on, Hummel," Santana waved her hand toward the laptop.

"Okay, alright," he moved to do so.

"Maybe he's scared," Brittany whispered to Santana, who laughed, while Kurt turned a look back to them.

"Come here, Kurty, I'll hold your hand," she joked.

"I'm fine," he shut the tray and soon the movie could start. When he returned to Brittany's side, where he'd been the whole time, she slipped her hand toward his. "I'm not scared," he insisted, softer to her than when it had been turned to Santana.

"Okay, but if you are, just take my hand, alright?" she nodded to him. He would grab it ten minutes later and not let go for the rest of the movie.

The night sky had taken over, stars above, and after another movie they had stopped. Santana had guessed Kurt wouldn't want that last one to be the last thing he remembered before he went to bed, or else he might mix everything that was in his mind now and nightmare himself into a place where he had to save his baby by fighting monsters and killers inside McKinley High. Brittany had been distracted by the stars, so they didn't go inside just yet. She was happy again, so at least they could tell themselves they had done right.

They had changed, and then sleeping arrangements had been made. Kurt would take his bed in the room/nursery, Brittany would take her bed. She would have gone and slept with Melinda in her room, leaving her bed to Santana, but she had said she could take the floor and stay with her. "I don't have nightmares anymore," Brittany promised.

"Don't care," Santana shook her head, taking the pillow and blanket the smiling blonde handed her.

"You're going to hurt all over in the morning and you have school."

"I once slept in a hallway, I'll be fine," she wouldn't budge.

"So then just sleep up here with me," Brittany nodded back to the bed. "We've done it before. I know I was smaller back then."

"It's not that," Santana insisted. Brittany gave her a look as though to say 'what is it then?' She wasn't going to defy her, or confuse her. So she put the pillow back.

In the morning, when Brittany would wake up, she would be alone again, and for a moment she thought Santana had gone on the floor after all, but then she looked back and saw her standing there, in her Cheerios uniform, tightening her ponytail. She sighed, sitting up.

She'd gotten up then and gone to knock at the door to the nursery. When she heard Kurt's voice, she opened the door. He was dressed, too, making the bed. "You can leave it, I'll do it."

"It's alright, I got it," he assured her. He turned back to her, still showing the signs of being just recently out of bed. "My phone is all charged up, if there is anything at all, you just text me, okay?"

"Anything?" she asked.

"Use your judgment," he amended.

"Right," she nodded, then after a moment. "Say hi to everyone for me, okay?"

"I will." He went to his bag, pulling something from inside and offering it to her. It was a book, a novel. "I think you might like this. It'll keep you entertained until your lessons start on Wednesday," he explained. She looked unsure for a beat, but then she smiled, picked it up.

"Thanks."

"You'll be fine," he went on, and she looked back to him.

"I know. So will you," she added, and he smiled.

After they were gone, both of them and her family as well, she had gone back to her room, put music on, sat on her bed. She didn't want it to be silent. She kept telling herself she wasn't completely alone, that there was the baby, but then he couldn't exactly talk back, no matter how hard she could hope for it. Since all this had started though, the one thing she had known for sure was that she wanted to take good care of him, and if being here on her own was going to help, then she would do it. She picked up the book and after a moment she began to read, aloud, like a story to her little boy.

THE END

_(This is the end of the story, not the series ;))_


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